SEWHERE 


.CK 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Class 


MEMORIES 


MEMORIES 

OF  LIFE  AT  OXFORD,  AND  EXPERIENCES 

IN  ITALY,  GREECE,  TURKEY,  GERMANY, 

SPAIN,  AND  ELSEWHERE 

BY  FREDERICK  MEYRICK,  M.A. 

PREBENDARY   OF   LINCOLN   AND   RECTOR   OF    BUCKLING 


OF  THE 

UN1VE 


NEW    YORK 

E.   P.   BUTTON   AND   COMPANY 
1905 


PRINTED  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN 


PREFACE 


THE  following  memories,  enabling  the  reader  to 
make  first  acquaintance  with  some  of  the  persons 
named,  and  a  better  acquaintance  with  others,  may,  I 
believe,  throw  some  sidelights  on  the  course  of  events 
in  England,  specially,  but  not  exclusively,  in  the  latter 
phases  of  the  Tractarian  Movement  at  Oxford  ;  and 
also,  though  again  not  exclusively,  on  the  origin, 
growth,  and  value  of  the  Old  Catholic  Reform  Move- 
ment on  the  Continent ;  and  through  these  on  the 
fortunes  of  the  Church  of  England  and  of  the  Church 
Catholic  during  the  past  half-century. 

This  is  my  excuse  for  publishing  the  following 
pages,  to  which  must  be  added  the  not  ignoble  desire 
that  an  old  man  has  to  render  his  experiences  of  use 
in  one  way  or  another  to  the  coming  generation. 

The  memories  are  of  the  persons  whom  I  have 
known,  rather  than  of  the  places  that  I  have  visited, 
for  which  reason  I  have  not  allowed  myself  any 
lengthened  description  of  foreign  sights  ;  and  as  *o 
persons,  I  have,  with  a  few  exceptions,  refrained  from 
admitting  into  my  gallery  any  that  are  still  living. 

F.  MEYRICK. 

BUCKLING, 

April,  1905. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   I 

PACES 

Home,  and  Oxford  undergraduate  days— The  Meyricks  of  Rams- 
bury,  Caermarthenshire,  and  Bodorgan — Edward  Graves 
Meyrick — James  Meyrick — Thomas  Meyrick,  SJ. — Edward 
Greswell,  Fellow  of  Corpus  Christi  College — R.  G.  Mac- 
mullen,  Fellow  of  Corpus  Christi  College— Thomas  Short, 
Tutor  of  Trinity— Joseph  Smith,  Bursar  of  Trinity— H.  P. 
Guillemard,  Tutor  of  Trinity  — W.  G.  Ward,  Fellow  of 
Balliol— A.  W.  Haddan,  Tutor  of  Trinity— S.  W,  Wayte, 
President  of  Trinity — W.  Basil  Jones,  Bishop  of  St.  David's 
—Sir  G.  F.  Bowen— H.  J.  Coleridge,  S.J.— E.  A.  Freeman, 
Professor  of  Modern  History — J.  L.  Patterson,  Bishop  of 
Emmaus— James  Riddell,  Fellow  of  Balliol — Edwin  Palmer, 
Archdeacon  of  Oxford — W.  B.  Marriott,  Master  at  Eton — 
W.  F.  Norris — Cardinal  Newman — Gladstone's  estimate  of 
Newman— W.  G.  Palgrave — T.  B.  Colenso — I.  Gregory  Smith 
—Sir  G.  W.  Cox— J.  E.  Bowden  1-36 

CHAPTER   II 

Fellowship  at  Trinity  College,  Oxford— Tutorship  in  Scotland 
—Earl  Talbot— Hon.  J.  C.  Talbot— Hon.  Gilbert  Talbot— 
William,  Marquis  of  Lothian — Lord  Schomberg  Kerr — 
Charles  Wordsworth,  Bishop  of  St.  Andrews — A.  H.  Clough, 
Fellow  of  Oriel— H.  M.  Birch— Robert  Kerse— A.  P.  Forbes, 
Bishop  of  Brechin — A.  H.  Mackonochie,  incumbent  of  St. 
Alban's,  Holborn— John  Keble,  Vicar  of  Hursley  -  37-50 

CHAPTER  III 

A  year  abroad— The  Abb£  Omer— Napoleon  III.— Pope  Pius  IX. 
— The  General  of  the  Jesuits — Hon.  Charles  A.  Harris,  Bishop 
of  Gibraltar — Mrs.  Monsell,  Mother  Superior  of  Clewer — 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

PAGES 

Sir  Henry  Ward,  Lord  High  Commissioner  at  Corfu— Misso- 
longhi — Megaspelion — Kyr  Poniatopulos — Blockade  of  Athens 
— Lord  Frederic  Kerr — General  Church — Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hill 
— Miss  Nightingale — Andrea  Prindisi — Peloponnesus — Pass 
of  Zagara — Mount  Parnassus — Thermopylae — Aulis — Mara- 
thon— Constantinople — William  Palmer — The  Fanar — Santa 
Sophia — Bazaars — The  Bosporus — Caves  of  Adelsberg  — 
Salzburg  -  -  51-82 

CHAPTER  IV 

Graduate  life  at  Oxford — T.  L.  Claughton,  Bishop  of  St.  Albans 
—  Lord  Robert  Cecil  (Lord  Salisbury)  —  Hon.  F.  Lygon 
(Lord  Beauchamp)— H.  L.  Mansel,  Dean  of  St.  Paul's— 
Charles  Marriott,  Fellow  of  Oriel — James  B.  Mozley,  Regius 
Professor  of  Divinity — J.  W.  Burgon,  Dean  of  Chichester — 
Benjamin  Jowett,  Master  of  Balliol — Mark  Pattison,  Rector 
of  Lincoln — Robert  Hussey,  Regius  Professor  of  Ecclesiasti- 
cal History — William  Jacobson,  Bishop  of  Chester — W.  E. 
Jelf,  student  of  Christ  Church — Martin  Joseph  Routh,  Presi- 
dent of  Magdalen  College  —  William  Sevvell,  Fellow  of 
Exeter  College — Miss  Sewell — Miss  Yonge — Isaac  Williams 
—Richard  Cobden— Max  Mtiller  -  83-117 

CHAPTER   V 

Dr.  Pusey— W.  Stubbs,  Bishop  of  Oxford— Samuel  Wilberforce, 
Bishop  of  Oxford  and  Winchester — W.  R.  Whittingham, 
Bishop  of  Maryland  — E.  S.  Foulkes,  Fellow  of  Jesus 
College  -  -  118-144 

CHAPTER  VI 

The  South  of  Spain— The  Alhambra— The  Mosque  of  Cordova— 
The  Martyrs  of  Cordova — The  Bula  de  la  Cruzada — Popular 
beliefs— Appeal  to  the  Church  of  England— Holy  Week  in 
Seville— Adoration  of  St.  Mary— The  Giralda— Bull-fight  at 
Seville  -  -  145-15? 

CHAPTER  VII 

Oxford— Bishop  Blomfield— Whitehall  preachership— G.  J.  Holy- 
oake — Goldwin  Smith — University  reform — W.  E.  Gladstone 
— Reformed  Oxford — Oxford  Architectural  Society — Brother- 
hood of  the  Holy  Trinity  -  -  -  -  158-175 


CONTENTS  ix 


CHAPTER  VIII 

PAGES 

The  Anglo-Continental  Society— Dr.  F.  Godfray  of  Jersey— Lord 
Charles  Hervey,  Rector  of  Chesterford — Modern  Gallicanism 
—The  Abbe  Guette'e — Count  Ottavio  Tasca  -  -  176-184 


CHAPTER  IX 

Ireland — Irish  Church  missions — Inquiry  classes  —  Maynooth 
—  Irish  funeral  —  Indulgences  —  Purgatory — Cursing — The 
rosary— Clifden  Orphan  School — St.  Columba's  College  185-196 


CHAPTER  X 

Germany  and  Holland — Dr.  de  Leuw — Professor  Hengstenberg 
— Pastor  Hengstenberg,  Evangelical  Church  of  Germany — 
Prague — H.  Van  Loos,  Archbishop  of  Utrecht — Jansenist 
Church  of  Holland  -  197-201 

CHAPTER  XI 

Oxford— H.  E.  Manning— His  defence  of  Liguori— '  Archbishop ' 
— Cardinal — Manning  and  Newman — Thackeray  -  202-215 


CHAPTER  XII 

School  inspectorship— The  English  clergy— Schools  in  1859— 
Robert  Aitken— W.  Haslam— R.  Aitken  at  Cuddesdon— 
E.  Harold  Browne,  Bishop  of  Ely  and  Winchester  -  216-224 


CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Anglo-Continental  Society — Reforming  tendencies  in  Italy  in 
1861-1866 — Dr.  Camilleri — Baron  Ricasoli — Cardinal  Andrea 
— General  Prim's  Revolution  in  Spain  in  1868 — Bishop  J.  B. 
Cabrera— Reforming  effort  in  Spain  -  -  225-232 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Norwich — Bishop  Pelham — Dean  Goulburn — Canon  Heaviside — 
Canon  Hinds  Howell — Dublin  Church  Congress — Hawar- 
den — W.  E.  Gladstone  on  Old  Catholicism  ;  on  the  Anglo- 
Continental  Society  ;  on  Italy  ;  on  Vaticanism  ;  on  the  nega- 
tive criticism  of  the  Bible ;  on  the  knowledge  of  Christ  233-245 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XV 

PAGES 

Incumbency  of  Blickling  and  Erpingham — Canonry  (non-resi- 
dentiary) of  Lincoln— Christopher  Wordsworth,  Bishop  of 
Lincoln — E.  W.  Benson,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury — J.  B. 
Lightfoot,  Bishop  of  Durham — A.  Cleveland  Coxe,  Bishop 
of  Western  New  York  -  -  246-255 

CHAPTER  XVI 

Old  Catholicism — The  Vatican  Council — Dr.  v.  Dollinger  in  1871 
— Reunion  committees  at  Cologne — Correspondence  with 
Dollinger — Conferences  of  Bonn — Committee  of  second 
Conference  of  Bonn — Hindrances  to  a  third  Conference — 
Congress  of  Lucerne — Dr.  v.  Dollinger — Bishop  Reinkens 
of  Bonn — Bishop  Herzog  of  Berne — Archbishop  Lycurgus 
of  Syros — Arch-Priest  Janyscheff  of  St.  Petersburg — General 
Kire'eff  of  St.  Petersburg — Bishop  Sandford  of  Gibraltar — 
Bishop  Perry  of  Iowa  —  Bishop  Potter  of  New  York  — 
Madame  Novikoff— -  A.  J.  B.  Beresford-Hope  256-280 


CHAPTER   XVII 

Spain — Funeral  at  Malaga — Sermon  at  Malaga — Italy — Signor 
Minghetti  —  Professor  Tommasi — Lord  Acton  —  Pere  Hya- 
cinthe  Loyson  -  -  281-291 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

Torquay  —  The  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts  —  Sir  William  Martin 
(New  Zealand) — William  Gibbs — Pierrot —Count  Henry  di 
Campello — Professor  Cichitti  -  292-302 


CHAPTER  XIX 

The  West  Indies — Christopher  Codrington — Codrington  College, 
Barbados  —  Caribs — African  negroes  —  The  West  Indian 
Question — J.  A.  Froude — Bishop  Rawle  of  Trinidad  -  303-314 


CHAPTER  XX 

Spain — Archbishop  Plunket  —  Valladolid  —  Salamanca — Villaes- 
cusa — Senor  Hernandez — St.  Mary  of  the  Elm — Proposed 
consecration  of  a  church  at  Madrid — Ordinations  in  Madrid 
and  Oporto  ...  315-322 


CONTENTS  xi 


CHAPTER  XXI 

PAGES 

Portuguese  Reform  Movement  —  Senhor  Da  Costa  —  Excom- 
munication —  Spanish  Ultramontanism  —  Consecration  of 
Bishop  Cabrera— Archbishop  Plunket  -  -  323-330 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Durham  University — Church  Congress  of  1895  —  Withdrawal 
from  the  Anglo-Continental  Society — Retrospect — Present 
work — Blickling  Hall — Royal  visit — Constance,  Marchioness 
of  Lothian — Carlyle  —  Browning  —  Hallam — Parish  clergy- 
man's life  -  -  331-340 


APPENDIX 
Offices,  etc.,  held — Publications  (author  and  editor)  -  -    341-345 

INDEX  ......  -    346-348 


UNIVERSIT Y  ) 
J 


MEMORIES 


CHAPTER  I 

Home  and  Oxford  undergraduate  days — Fellows  and  scholars 
of  Trinity  College,  Oxford— J.  H.  Newman. 

MY  father  and  my  grandfather  were  both  of  them 
Doctors  of  Divinity,  and  both  of  them  Vicars  of 
Ramsbury,  a  benefice  that  was  in  the  gift  of  the  Lord 
Chancellor.  My  grandfather  came  from  South  Wales, 
being  one  of  the  Caermarthenshire  Meyricks,  who 
were  descended  from  Sir  Francis  Meyrick,  second  son 
of  Rowland  Meyrick,  the  first  Protestant  Bishop  of 
Bangor  in  the  sixteenth  century,  who  himself  belonged 
to  the  house  of  Bodorgan  in  the  Isle  of  Anglesea. 
The  Meyricks  of  Bodorgan  trace  their  descent,  I 
believe,  from  one  of  the  Welsh  kinglets.  The  family 
motto  is :  '  Have  God,  have  everything  :  God  and 
enough'  —  of  course  in  Welsh.  Ramsbury  was  at 
one  time  a  Bishop's  see,  and  the  Latin  title  of  the 
Bishop,  Episcopus  Corvinensis,  shows  that  the  name 
of  the  village  was  originally  Ravensbury,  which  has 
been  corrupted  into  Ramsbury.  The  church  is  a  fine 
building,  in  the  Perpendicular  style  of  architecture. 
Attached  to  it  was  a  private  chapel,  belonging  to  the 
Littlecote  family,  which  was  kept  locked,  and  went 
under  the  name  of  Darrell's  Aisle.  It  was  looked 
upon  by  us  with  some  awe,  because  the  tomb  that  it 
contained  was  supposed  to  be  that  of  *  Wild  Darrell.' 
The  more  than  tragic  tale  of  Wild  Darrell  may  be 

i 


2  RAMSBURY  [1827-42 

found  in  the  notes  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Rokeby.  It 
lived  still  in  the  village  of  Ramsbury  (from  which 
Littlecote  is  only  two  miles  distant)  with  extravagant 
additions,  such  as  are  usual  in  stories  handed  down 
by  oral  tradition.  I  believe  that  the  true  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  Popham  family  came  into 
possession  of  Littlecote  on  Darrell's  death  was  this : 
Darrell  had  committed  a  savage  murder,  and  his  life 
was  saved  by  the  ability  of  Sir  John  Popham,  whom 
he  employed  as  his  advocate.  To  show  his  gratitude, 
Darrell  left  him  Littlecote  in  his  will ;  but  before  he 
died,  Popham  had  become  Judge,  and  therefore  it 
came  to  be  believed  that  the  trial  had  taken  place 
before  him  as  Judge,  and  that  he  had  passed  sentence 
on  Darrell,  declaring  him  innocent,  being  bribed  to 
do  so  by  the  promise  of  succeeding  to  the  Littlecote 
inheritance,  whereas  the  trial  was  held  in  1590,  and 
Popham  was  appointed  Lord  Chief  Justice  in  1592. 
In  my  younger  days  a  manuscript  ballad  was  passed 
from  hand  to  hand  in  Ramsbury,  written  with  more 
than  usual  poetic  power,  of  which  I  only  now  recollect 
one  verse ;  it  is  based  upon  the  false  story  of  the 
Judge  having  been  bribed  : 

'  Not  all  the  blood  of  all  the  Pophams 
Can  wash  the  Darrell  stain  away  ; 
Nor  all  the  wealth  of  all  the  Darrells 
Stead  Popham  on  the  Judgment  Day.' 

A  stile  just  outside  Ramsbury  is  known  as  Darrell's 
Stile,  because  legend  reported  that  as  Darrell  was 
coming  back  from  hunting  he  broke  his  neck  in  leaping 
it,  his  horse  being  frightened  by  the  vision  of  a  woman 
holding  in  her  arms  a  child  enveloped  in  flames.  My 
eldest  sister,  Anne  Meyrick,  married  John  Popham, 
third  son  of  General  Leybourne  Popham  of  Littlecote. 

A  story  is  told  of  one  of  my  grandfather's  pre- 
decessors which  shows  how  greatly  times  have 
changed.  Some  Dissenters  called  Ranters,  coming 


1827-42]     EDWARD  GRAVES  MEYRICK  3 

into  the  village  for  the  first  time,  began  to  preach 
and  to  sing  hymns  under  a  wych-elm  that  grew  in  an 
irregular  square  at  the  end  of  the  chief  street  of  the 
village.  The  parishioners,  indignant  at  the  invasion, 
asked  permission  of  the  incumbent  to  take  out  the 
fire-engine — as  they  said,  for  exercise.  Leave  being 
granted,  they  dragged  it  up  to  the  square  and  poured 
water  on  the  preachers.  Shaking,  not  the  dust,  but 
the  mud  from  their  feet,  they  took  their  departure, 
followed  by  the  fire-engine,  to  the  confines  of  the 
parish. 

My  grandfather,  being  a  good  scholar,  became  tutor 
to  the  young  Duke  of  Somerset  and  his  brother,  which 
led  to  his  taking  pupils,  first  at  Hungerford,  and  after- 
wards at  Ramsbury,  of  which  parish  he  was  appointed 
incumbent  by  Lord  Chancellor  Thurlow.  He  is  de- 
scribed as  the  pattern  of  a  dignified  clergyman  of  the 
day,  in  curled  wig  (dressed  every  day  by  the  barber), 
buckles  at  his  knees  and  on  his  shoes,  and  shovel-hat. 
A  description  of  the  life  at  Ramsbury  is  given  by 
Moultrie  in  his  poem  '  The  Dream  of  Life.' 

My  grandfather  had  four  sons,  two  of  whom  entered 
the  army,  and  two  were  ordained,  according  to  the 
old-fashioned  idea  that  a  gentleman's  sons  must  serve 
either  the  Crown  or  the  Church.  Of  the  two  soldiers, 
one  went  through  the  Peninsular  War,  and  the  other 
saw  active  service  in  India.  Both  of  them  died  in 
India. 

The  eldest  son,  Edward  Graves  Meyrick,  who  was 
my  father,  was  fond  of  greyhounds.  One  day  when 
he  was  taking  some  food  to  the  kennel  of  a  favourite 
hound,  which  was  tied  up  on  account  of  illness,  the 
dog  flew  at  him  and  bit  him  severely  in  the  arm. 
Believing  that  the  dog  might  be  mad,  he  went 
straightway  to  the  kitchen,  and,  without  calling  any- 
one's assistance,  he  heated  a  table-knife  in  the  fire  and 
cut  out  and  seared  the  wound.  My  father  kept  grey- 

i — 2 


4  RAMSBURY  [1827-42 

hounds  for  some  years,  and  won  a  number  of  prizes  at 
the  Ashdown  coursing  meetings,  which  are  now  in  my 
possession. 

The  youngest  son,  Arthur,  was  interested  in 
mechanics,  and  long  before  the  days  of  railroads  and 
steam-engines  he  made  a  bet  with  Lord  Ducie  that 
a  vehicle  moved  by  steam  would  go  from  London  to 
Bath  before  a  certain  day.  Before  that  day  came  we 
received  news  that  a  steam-carriage  had  left  London 
and  was  going  to  Bath  by  the  old  Bath  turnpike-road. 
We  made  an  expedition  to  a  spot  from  whence  we 
might  see  it  pass  along  the  road.  But  we  were  dis- 
appointed, for  before  it  had  arrived  at  that  point  the 
populace  had  risen  and  broken  it  to  pieces,  on  the 
ground  that  the  new  invention  would  take  away  work 
from  all  those  who  were  employed  as  coachmen  or 
stablemen,  and  would  prevent  the  breeding  of  horses. 
Arthur  Meyrick  made  another  prediction.  He  was 
fond  of  hunting,  and  he  used  to  say  some  seventy 
years  ago  that  before  very  long  we  should  go  out 
riding,  if  not  hunting,  *  each  on  our  own  tea-kettle ' — 
an  anticipation  of  the  present  motor-car  and  motor- 
bicycle,  of  the  future  existence  of  which  there  was 
in  his  day  no  prospect. 

My  brother,  James  Meyrick,  had  been  scholar  of 
Queen's  College,  Oxford,  on  the  Michel  foundation 
(now  amalgamated  with  the  old  foundation),  and  he 
took  his  degree  of  B.A.  in  1839.  After  his  ordina- 
tion he  became  curate  of  Newport  in  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  and  of  Chilton  in  Berkshire,  then  Vicar  of 
Avebury  and  of  Westbury  in  Wiltshire.  At  Westbury 
his  health  broke  down  from  overwork ;  an  attack  of 
pleurisy  turned  to  pneumonia,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
go  abroad  in  search  of  health.  He  spent  two  winters 
at  Malaga  in  Spain  with  his  sister,  and  a  volume  con- 
sisting mainly  of  his  and  her  letters  was  subsequently 
published,  entitled  The  Practical  Working  of  the 


I82/-42]  JAMES  MEYRICK  5 

Church  of  Spain  (1851),  which  served  as  a  counterpoise 
to  some  extravagant  imaginations  as  to  the  perfection 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  entertained  at  the 
time  in  England  by  men  whose  minds  had  been  dis- 
turbed by  Newman's  secession.  The  motto  taken  for 
the  volume  was  some  words  of  Pugin,  himself  a 
Roman  Catholic  :  '  Pleasant  meadows,  happy  peasants, 
all  holy  monks,  all  holy  priests,  holy  everybody. 
Such  charity  and  such  unity  wrhen  every  man  was  a 
Catholic — I  once  believed  in  this  Utopia  myself,  but 
when  tested  by  stern  facts  it  all  melts  away  like  a 
dream.'  A  third  winter  he  spent  on  the  Nile  with 
Lord  Henry  Scott,  afterwards  created  Lord  Montagu. 
During  his  absence  his  parish  was  left  in  charge  of  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Bowles  and  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Mackonochie, 
the  last  of  whom  became  afterwards  incumbent  of 
St.  Alban's,  Holborn.  Finding  that  he  did  not  recover 
his  health  sufficiently  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  a  parish 
clergyman  as  he  estimated  them,  my  brother  resigned 
the  cure  of  Westbury  into  the  hands  of  the  Bishop  of 
Salisbury,  and  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  as 
an  invalid  at  Bournemouth. 

My  cousin  Thomas  Meyrick  was  scholar  of  Corpus 
Christi  College,  Oxford,  and  took  a  first  class  in  Classics 
in  the  year  1838,  his  name  appearing  in  the  same 
list  with  those  of  Dean  Lake  of  Durham,  Bishop 
Rigaud  of  Antigua,  and  Bishop  Trower  of  Gibraltar. 
After  taking  his  degree  he  resided  in  Oxford,  and 
became  a  popular  private  tutor.  He  was  an  enthusi- 
astic admirer  and  follower  of  Newman.  In  1844, 
during  my  first  year  of  residence  as  an  under- 
graduate, I  received  a  note  from  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Mac- 
mullen  of  Corpus  Christi  College,  saying  that  my  cousin 
was  very  ill.  Going  to  see  him,  I  found  him  in  a  state 
of  great  mental  excitement,  and  hardly  master  of  him- 
self. He  said  that  he  wished  to  join  the  Church  of 
Rome  but  was  bound  by  a  promise  to  Newman  not 


6  RAMSBURY  [1827-42 

to  do  so.  I  went  to  Littlemore,  where  Newman  was 
then  living,  to  consult  him,  and  he  gave  me  a  letter 
for  my  cousin,  in  which  he  said  that  he  could  not 
authorize  his  secession,  but  he  relieved  him  from  the 
obligation  of  any  promise  made  to  him.  Recovering 
to  a  certain  degree,  my  cousin  went  to  his  home  to 
ask  his  father's  permission  to  become  a  Romanist. 
His  father,  an  old  Tory  Protestant  parson,  said  that 
to  save  him  from  losing  his  mind  (which  appeared 
likely  from  his  excitement)  he  would  give  the  leave, 
though  if  it  had  been  to  save  his  life,  he  would  not. 
Soon  afterwards  he  was  received  into  the  Roman 
Church,  and  went  to  live  for  a  time  at  the  Roman 
Catholic  College  at  Prior  Park,  near  Bath,  where  I 
paid  him  a  visit.  Later  on  he  joined  the  Jesuits, 
and  became  extravagantly  attached  to  the  worship 
of  St.  Mary.  But  ever  since  the  excitement  that 
he  underwent  at  the  time  of  his  secession  he  had 
been  liable  to  temporary  fits  of  deep  depression, 
followed  sometimes  by  unusually  high  spirits.  The 
Jesuits,  wearied  with  his  distressed  and  variable  bear- 
ing, sent  him  to  an  asylum.  The  asylum  was  very 
ill-managed  in  respect  to  the  moral  control  exercised 
over  the  patients,  and  it  was  governed  by  great  vio- 
lence. On  one  occasion  my  cousin  tried  to  escape, 
and,  being  caught,  was  brought  back  and  placed  in  a 
padded  room  with  a  strong  man,  who  knocked  him 
down  and  then  provoked  him  to  fight,  knocking  him 
down  every  time  that  he  stood  up,  till  '  the  devil  of 
insubordination '  was  supposed  to  be  subdued  in  him. 
On  a  later  occasion  he  succeeded  in  escaping ;  and 
having  hidden  himself  under  the  willows  that  fringe 
the  Thames  at  Putney  during  the  day,  he  set  off  as 
soon  as  it  was  dark  and  walked  all  the  way  to  Wilt- 
shire, and  begged  his  brother  to  take  him  in  and  pro- 
tect him.  Indignant  and  angry  with  the  Jesuits,  he 
broke  off  from  them,  and  wrote  a  pamphlet  (printed, 


1827-42]          THOMAS  MEYRICK,  S.J.  7 

but  not  published)  called  My  Imprisoning* ;  or,  Why  1 

left  the  Jesuits.  Time  passed,  and  an  imagination  sug- 
gested itself  to  him  that  he  had  committed  a  sin  in 
leaving  the  Jesuits  after  having  once  been  enrolled 
among  them  and  taken  oaths  of  obedience.  He  again 
joined  them,  but  once  more  the  depression  and  excite- 
ment seized  him,  and  he  was  sent  by  the  Jesuits  to 
an  asylum  in  Ireland,  from  which  he  was  delivered 
by  the  Inspector  of  Asylums.  After  this  he  made  a 
solemn  vow  never  to  rejoin  the  Jesuits,  and  he  went 
to  live  in  a  lodging-house  at  Bournemouth,  refusing 
either  to  leave  the  Roman  Church  or  to  see  a  Roman 
priest,  or  to  go  near  the  Roman  or  the  English  Church. 
Thus  many  years  passed.  At  length  he  had  a  partial 
recovery,  and  again  officiated  as  a  Roman  priest ;  but 
the  recovery  was  not  complete,  and,  indignant  at  not 
receiving  all  his  'faculties,'  he  went  to  Rome  in  1899 
for  redress,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  and  was  there 
consigned  to  the  care  of  some  charitable  nuns,  who 
looked  after  him  until  his  death  in  1903.  Few  know 
the  wrench  that  it  was  to  those  who  left  the  Church  of 
England  for  Rome  before  Newman's  secession  in  1845 
had  made  it  easier  to  do  so.  Thomas  Meyrick  never 
recovered  from  it. 

In  1842,  when  I  was  fifteen  years  old,  I  exchanged 
my  Eton  jacket  for  a  coat,  and  went  to  Oxford  to  try 
for  a  scholarship  at  Corpus.  To  my  great  surprise,  at 
the  end  of  the  examination  I  was  given  to  understand 
that  I  should  have  been  elected,  but  that  the  Fellows 
of  the  college  thought  that  it  would  be  better  for  me 
not  to  come  into  residence  at  the  University  at  so 
early  an  age.  They  would  be  happy  to  see  me  next 
year  if  I  would  come  up  again  as  a  candidate.  They 
were  very  kind  to  me.  One  of  them,  the  Rev.  Charles 
Balston,  gave  me  a  Boethius  De  Consolatione,  which 
I  value  for  itself  and  its  associations.  Another  of 
the  Fellows  was  Edward  Greswell,  a  man  of  great 


8  CORPUS  CHRISTI  COLLEGE          [1842 

reputation  as  a  scholar  and  theologian,  author  of  a 
very  popular  Harmonia  Evangelica,  a  Harmony  of  the 
Four  Gospels  in  Greek.  He  was  looked  on  with  awe 
by  undergraduates  because  he  lived  in  a  room  rilled 
with  books,  containing  but  one  table,  one  tall  reading- 
desk,  two  upright  chairs,  and  no  other  furniture.  (A 
few  years  later  I  found  Professor  Hengstenberg  living 
in  just  such  a  room  at  Berlin  ;  for  scholars  of  the  old 
stamp  were  quite  content  with  such  surroundings.) 
It  was  said  that,  when  anyone  came  to  visit  Greswell, 
he  courteously  pointed  to  one  of  the  chairs,  and 
said :  *  You  are  welcome,  sir.  What  can  I  do  for 
you  ?'  Then  his  visitor  would  put  before  him  some 
difficulty  of  scholarship  or  theology,  which  he  would 
solve  with  the  utmost  patience  ;  and  having  made  the 
point  clear,  he  would  then  say :  '  And  is  there  anything 
else  that  I  can  do  for  you,  sir  ?'  And  on  an  answer 
being  given  in  the  negative,  he  would  say,  'Then, 
good-morning,  sir,'  and  turn  at  once  to  the  tomes  on 
his  reading-desk.  Mr.  Greswell  was  interested  in  a 
candidate  for  the  scholarship,  young  as  I  was,  and 
having  read  the  Latin  essay,  written  in  a  round,  boyish 
hand,  passed  it  on  the  other  Fellows  with  the  words : 
1  What  do  you  think  of  that  for  a  lad  of  fifteen  ?'  This, 
being  reported  to  me,  so  amazed  me  that  it  impressed 
that  old  boyish  essay  indelibly  on  my  memory,  and  I 
can  recall  it  now,  though  it  is  sixty  years  since.* 
Another  Fellow  at  Corpus  at  the  time  was  the 

*  The  subject  was  *  Brutus  ante  Cassaris  occisionem.'  I  had  read 
Shakespeare's  Julius  Ccesar,  and  wrote :  '  Brutus,  literas  quas  per 
fenestram  trajectas  invenerat,  legens  :  "  Surge,  interfice  !  Gives  orant, 
Roma  jubet,  Patria  imperat."  Mene  igitur,  mene  orant  cives  ut 
surgam,  ut  interficiam  ?  Cives,  Romani  cives,  voti  compotes  eritis  ! 
Quemnam  autem  interficiam  ?  An  amicum,  quern  e  pueritia  adamavi  ? 
An  socium,  quern  e  fluvio  pene  inanimem  eripui  ?'  (a  vague  memory 
of  Cassius,  not  Brutus).  '  An  heroem,  qui  gloriam  Romanam  in  exteras 
regiones  extendit  ?  Imo  tyrannum,  imo  sceleratum,  qui  libertates 
nostras  sub  pedibus  conculcavit,  invitus  sed  certus  interficiam  !' 
There  was  more  of  the  same  sort,  I  suppose. 


1 842]  R.  G.  MACMULLEN  9 

Rev.  R.  G.  Macmullen.  When  he  wished  to  take  his 
degree  of  B.D.  (Bachelor  of  Divinity),  as  required  by 
the  statutes  of  his  college,  he  had  to  read  two  original 
essays  to  the  Regius  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the 
Theological  Schools.  At  the  time  Dr.  Hampden  was 
Regius  Professor,  and  Mr.  Macmullen  was  a  Tractarian. 
The  Regius  Professor  refused  to  pass  his  essays  as  a 
qualification  for  the  degree  of  B.D.,  and  Macmullen 
refused  to  offer  others.  The  difficulty  was  not  got 
over  for  a  considerable  time,  during  which  Macmullen 
was  said  to  be  '  disputing  daily  in  the  school  of  one 
Tyrannus.'  Macmullen  at  this  time  declared  that  he 
could  become  a  Mahometan  as  soon  as  a  Romanist ; 
nevertheless,  he  was  carried  down  by  the  vortex 
caused  by  Newman's  sinking.  In  the  struggle  for 
supremacy  which  afterwards  took  place  within  the 
Roman  Church  between  Manning  and  Newman,  Mac- 
mullen warmly  took  Newman's  side.  '  Newman's 
conversion  is  the  greatest  calamity  which  has  befallen 
the  Catholic  Church  in  our  day,'  said  one  of  Manning's 
partisans.  '  No,'  retorted  Macmullen  ;  '  the  greatest 
calamity  to  the  Church  in  our  day  was  the  death  of  a 
woman' — Mrs.  Manning — for  that  enabled  Manning  to 
be  ordained  in  the  Roman  Church.  Manning  having 
reproved  Macmullen  for  what  he  had  said,  Macmullen 
replied,  '  I  pity  the  man  who  repeated  it  to  your 
Grace,'  but  did  not  withdraw  it. 

The  next  year,  1843,  being  now  sixteen,  instead  of 
waiting  for  the  Corpus  Scholarship  Examination,  I 
went  up  as  a  candidate  at  Trinity  College.  This  time 
I  had  some  hopes,  and  was  therefore  in  a  greater  state 
of  excitement.  I  was  then  living  in  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
and  as  the  railway  had  not  yet  been  made,  except  for 
a  short  part  of  the  journey,  I  had  to  sleep  at  South- 
ampton, and  travel  by  a  coach  which  started  at  4  a.m. 
Three  times  during  the  night  I  woke  and  half  dressed 
myself,  in  terror  lest  the  coach  should  start  without 


io  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         [1844 

me.  On  Trinity  Monday,  1843,  I  was  elected  scholar 
of  Trinity  College,  together  with  Wharton  Marriott 
(age  nineteen),  W.  Gifford  Palgrave  (age  eighteen), 
W.  Foxley  Norris  (age  eighteen) ;  and  three  of  us  came 
into  residence  in  the  following  January  —  Marriott, 
Norris,  and  myself — the  fourth,  Palgrave,  coming  up 
a  term  later. 

In  January,  1844,  the  President  of  Trinity  College 
was  Dr.  Ingram,  who  had  some  reputation  as  an  anti- 
quarian. He  was  succeeded  in  1850  by  Dr.  Wilson. 

The  Senior  Tutor  was  the  Rev.  Thomas  Short. 
Tommy  Short,  as  he  was  universally  called,  had 
been  at  Rugby  as  a  master  before  Arnold's  head- 
mastership,  and  he  had  been  already  Tutor  of  Trinity 
College  for  a  longer  period  than  my  sixteen  years  of 
life.  He  was  the  type  of  the  genial  High  Churchman 
of  the  old  school.  He  was  regular  in  his  life,  never 
failing  to  attend  college  chapel  on  week-days,  and 
taking  a  lectureship  at  a  church  in  Abingdon,  con- 
nected with  Trinity  College,  on  Sundays.  He  did 
not  spare  himself  as  a  Tutor,  was  always  kindly  to 
the  undergraduates,  with  whom  he  was  very  popular, 
and  he  \vas  a  leading  figure  in  University  politics.  At 
one  time  the  three  most  influential  men  in  Oxford 
were  Short  of  Trinity,  Calcott  of  Lincoln,  and  Michell 
of  Magdalen  Hall.  They  were  strong  Tories,  hating 
Radicals  and  Dissenters  in  the  abstract,  but  full  of 
kindness  towards  them  in  the  concrete,  and  never 
forgetting  that  they  must  act  towards  their  opponents 
with  the  forbearance  of  gentlemen,  however  much 
they  abhorred  their  principles.  After  one  of  the 
Parliamentary  Reform  Bills,  Short  said  that  Parlia- 
ment was  now  past  praying  for,  and  vowed  that  he 
would  not  use  the  prayer  for  Parliament  any  longer 
in  chapel,  but  on  second  thoughts  declared  it  required 
prayers  all  the  more.  He  had  eccentricities,  which 
rather  endeared  him  than  otherwise  to  the  under- 


1844]  THOMAS  SHORT  11 

graduate  mind,  because  they  amused  it.  He  lectured 
in  Aristotle's  Rhetoric,  and  after  a  time  he  passed  by 
many  years  the  age  at  which  Aristotle  says  that  man's 
powers  are  at  their  best.  It  became  a  great  enjoy- 
ment to  various  generations  of  undergraduates  to  hear 
him  say,  when  he  came  to  that  particular  passage,  '  In 
those  hot  climates,  you  know,  people  come  to  their 
acme  much  sooner  than  with  us.'  Austerity  was  not 
a  quality  which  men  of  Short's  school  either  professed 
or  inculcated.  They  liked  their  two  glasses  of  port 
after  dinner — seldom  more,  never  in  excess — and  their 
game  at  whist  writh  sixpenny  points.  And  in  dealing 
with  undergraduates'  peccadilloes  they  were  more 
willing  to  be  lenient  than  severe.  They  did  not  in- 
spire into  young  men  enthusiasm  or  strong  devotion, 
but  they  made  them  upright,  natural  gentlemen,  and 
it  may  be  questioned  whether  that  is  not  as  good  a 
foundation  on  which  a  character  may  be  built,  as 
Arnold's  system,  which  appealed  too  soon  to  the 
young  man's  head,  or  Pusey's,  which  stirred  too  early 
the  young  man's  heart.  Short  outlived  many  Oxford 
generations  of  contemporaries,  and  died  an  old  man 
in  the  college  which  had  so  long  been  his  home. 

His  nearest  contemporary  at  the  time  was  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Smith,  always  known  under  the  name  of  the 
Bursar.  He  was  the  type  of  the  old  Oxford  Don.  It 
was  enough  once  to  see  him  walk  across  the  quad- 
rangle, with  his  head  high  in  the  air,  his  solemn  gait, 
his  spotless  neckcloth,  his  academical  gown  bellying 
out  behind  him,  to  know  his  character.  His  essential 
quality  was  pompousness.  Every  day  he  took  a  sober 
walk  by  himself  of  two  miles  and  back  ;  every  day  he 
appeared  at  the  high  table  in  Hall  with  a  white  waist- 
coat just  showing  its  upper  roll  above  his  black  waist- 
coat; thence  he  marched  sedately  to  the  common- 
room,  and  after  his  two  glasses  of  wine  withdrew  to 
his  own  room.  He  never  knew  an  undergraduate  by 


12  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         li844 

sight,  but  he  was  very  condescending  when  in  his 
bursarial  capacity  he  was  brought  into  contact  with 
any  of  '  the  youngsters.'  He  was  a  constant  joy  to 
the  undergraduates;  some  story  about  'the  Bursar* 
was  always  afloat.  He  was  greatest  when  a  '  common- 
room  '  was  going  to  be  held  on  a  hapless  delinquent. 
Small  offences  were  dealt  with  by  the  Dean  of  the 
college  ;  but  if  he  judged  that  a  very  serious  penalty 
ought  to  be  inflicted,  a  '  common-room  '  consisting  of 
all  the  Fellows  was  called  by  the  President,  and  the 
offender  was  summoned  before  it.  It  was  a  ceremony 
to  make  a  young  man  quake,  when  he  was  asked  by 
the  President  for  an  explanation  or  defence.  At  this 
moment  the  Bursar  generally  intervened  with  the 
words:  'Now,  sir,  take  care  what  you  say;  for,  re- 
member, your  existence  is  hanging  on  a  thread  !' 

Here  and  there  an  undergraduate  would  rage  at  the 
Bursar's  calm  superiority  instead  of  being  delighted 
with  it.  One  of  them  was  so  irritated  that  he  declared 
his  resolution  of  throwing  an  explosive  ball  into  Bursar 
Smith's  study,  where  he  generally  sat  after  tea.  Hearing 
of  this  purpose  shortly  before  it  was  to  be  accomplished, 
three  of  us  determined  that  we  must  frustrate  it.  One 
of  us,  therefore,  Wharton  Marriott,  went  to  the 
Bursar's  room  and  asked  him  to  be  good  enough  not 
to  sit  in  his  study  on  that  evening.  After  a  time,  as 
Marriott  did  not  return  to  tell  us  the  results  of  his 
mission,  I,  too,  went  to  the  Bursar's  rooms.  On  my 
knocking  at  his  door,  he  threw  it  open,  brandishing 
a  stout  walking-stick  in  his  hand.  On  seeing  me,  he 
went  back  to  the  table  at  which  he  had  been  sitting,  in 
his  front-room,  with  a  book  before  him  and  his  stick  by 
his  side.  '  I  ask  no  questions,'  he  said,  'but  is  it  gun- 
powder ?'  On  my  saying  I  feared  so,  he  resumed  his 
reading,  with  the  words,  majestically  pronounced  : 
'  Then  I  sit  here  to-night.'  The  ball  was  not  thrown, 
and  the  Bursar  next  day  showed  his  magnanimity  by 


1844],  H.  P.  GUILLEMARD  13 

making  no  inquiry  whatever  as  to  the  disturbance  that 
he  had  suffered.  After  many  years  the  Bursar  married 
an  Irish  widow,  and  disappeared  from  Oxford.  Hopes 
were  freely  expressed  that  she  might  not  be  as 
submissive  as  the  average  undergraduate  had  been. 

The  Tutor  that  came  next  in  seniority  to  Short  was 
the  Rev.  H.  P.  Guillemard,  a  genial  and  kind-hearted 
man.  But  he  was  not  a  good  teacher,  and  became  the 
object  of  some  good-natured  jests  among  the  scholars. 
His  favourite  lecture  book  was  Thucydides.  In  giving 
a  lecture  on  it  he  used  Arnold's  edition,  and  had  open 
before  him  Goller's  edition  to  which  to  refer.  On 
coming  to  a  hard  passage  he  would  turn  to  the  book 
on  the  table,  and  say :  '  Goller  takes  this  passage  as 
follows.'  Among  the  scholars  there  was  a  witty  and 
sarcastic  man,  E.  T.  Turner,  who  would  have  it  that 
the  supposed  'Goller'  was  really  an  English  transla- 
tion, referred  to  when  a  difficulty  occurred.  We  all 
knew  that  it  was  not  so,  but  the  jest  suited  a  class  of 
merry  youngsters,  and  from  that  time  'cribs'  went 
among  us  under  the  name  of f  Gollers.'  At  one  moment 
Guillemard  came  quite  to  the  front  in  University 
affairs.  W.  G.  Ward,  Fellow  of  Balliol,  having  written 
a  book  called  the  Ideal  of  the  Christian  Church^  was 
very  properly  condemned  for  it  by  the  Convocation  of 
the  University,  and  his  gown  was  taken  away.  But 
the  Hebdomadal  Board,  the  heads  of  all  the  colleges, 
who  had  the  initiative  in  University  legislation, 
thought  it  a  good  opportunity  of  condemning,  not  only 
Ward,  but  also  J.  H.  Newman.  This  was  not  con- 
sidered fair,  as  Newman's  offences  had  been  com- 
mitted at  a  previous  time,  and  use  seemed  to  be  made 
of  the  anger  caused  by  Ward  to  condemn  Newman. 
At  this  time  Guillemard  was  Senior  Proctor,  and 
R.  W.  Church,  of  Oriel,  was  Junior  Proctor.  Accord- 
ing to  the  constitution  of  the  University,  whenever 
the  two  Proctors  agree  together  to  veto  any  pro- 


i4  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         [1844 

posal  put  before  Convocation  by  the  Council,  their 
veto  stops  all  proceedings.  On  the  present  occasion 
Church  had  a  strong  affection  for  Newman,  and  with- 
out difficulty  he  persuaded  Guillemard,  who  also  had  a 
high  regard  for  him,  to  co-operate  with  himself  in 
vetoing  the  proposed  condemnation.  Accordingly, 
when  the  Vice-Chancellor  said,  *  Placetne  vobis, 
domini  magistri  ?'  the  two  Proctors  rose,  and  Guille- 
mard, as  Senior  Proctor,  pronounced  the  magic 
words,  'Nobis  Procuratoribus  non  placet,'  on  which 
the  question  fell  to  the  ground  and  the  Convocation 
broke  up. 

Ward  was  at  this  time  (as  always)  a  singular  being. 
Among  other  Roman  practices,  he  had  been  a  strong 
advocate  of  celibacy.  On  the  occasion  of  his  con- 
demnation he  was  allowed  to  defend  himself,  and  was 
given  an  interval  in  the  midst  of  his  speech  in  which 
he  might  refresh  himself.  It  was  noticed  that  during 
this  interval  he  occupied  himself  in  reading  a  long 
letter.  Very  soon  afterwards  it  came  out  that  he  was 
engaged  to  be  married,  and  it  was  generally  said  in 
the  University,  with  a  smile,  that  the  letter  was  '  from 
Fanny.'  He  was  not  a  man  of  business.  When  he 
was  Bursar  at  Balliol,  the  story  runs  that  he  could 
not  get  his  accounts  right  at  the  end  of  the  year 
till  friends  bethought  them  of  looking  through  his 
books,  and  then  they  found  within  the  pages  bank- 
notes, which  he  had  put  there  for  security  when  they 
were  paid  to  him  in  behalf  of  the  college,  and  had 
perfectly  forgotten. 

The  ablest  among  the  Fellows  of  Trinity  was 
Arthur  West  Haddan.  His  interest  was  more  in 
theology  than  in  classics.  For  a  time  he  had  been 
curate  to  Newman  at  St.  Mary's,  Oxford,  but  he  would 
not  budge  an  inch  from  the  Anglican  position  when 
Newman  began  to  look  Romewards.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  erudition  and  extraordinary  laboriousness,  as 


i844]  ARTHUR  WEST  HADDAN  15 

was  shown  by  his  edition  of  Thorndike's  works  for 
the  Anglo-Catholic  Library,  and  by  the  Councils  and 
Ecclesiastical  Documents  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
of  which  he  was  joint  editor  with  Bishop  Stubbs. 
But  his  style  was  not  good.  Seeing  the  various  sides 
of  a  question,  and  anxious  not  to  overstate  his  case, 
he  tried  by  means  of  parentheses  to  express  the  whole 
of  what  he  thought  in  one  sentence,  instead  of  attach- 
ing other  sentences  containing  the  necessary  modi- 
fications and  limitations.  This  caused  him  to  be  a 
heavy  and  obscure  writer.  He  had  the  same  defect 
in  his  teaching,  so  that  he  was  not  a  good  Tutor.  At 
the  time  of  the  University  election  he  acted  as 
secretary  of  Mr.  Gladstone's  committee,  and  in  this 
capacity  Mr.  Gladstone  owed  him  much.  After  many 
years'  service  as  Tutor,  he  accepted  the  college  living 
of  Barton-on-the-Heath.  But  he  never  had  higher 
preferment  offered  to  him.  This  was  probably  owing 
to  an  uncompromising  sturdiness  of  character,  which 
made  him  dwell  rather  on  the  points  in  which  he 
differed  from  an  interlocutor  than  those  on  which  they 
were  agreed.  But  he  more  than  deserved  a  canonry 
or  a  deanery,  and  perhaps  such  a  post  might  have 
prolonged  a  very  valuable  life,  for,  owing  to  a  mis- 
fortune that  had  happened  to  his  father,  he  suffered 
from  res  angusta  domi. 

Haddan  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  Guardian 
newspaper,  which  had  been  established  and  was 
mainly  conducted  by  his  brother,  Thomas  Haddan, 
and  Sir  Frederic  Rogers,  afterwards  Lord  Blachford. 
The  paper  was  not  at  first  a  success,  and  in  1846  the 
editors  put  out  a  dignified  appeal  to  their  supporters, 
saying  that  the  writers  of  the  paper  had  other  work 
that  they  might  do,  and  that  unless  a  wider  circu- 
lation was  effected  the  periodical  would  cease  to  be 
published.  I  had  been  a  subscriber  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  this  circular  reached  me  as  I  was  on  a 


16  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         [1844 

Long  Vacation  reading  -  party  at  St.  David's.  It 
was  a  successful  appeal,  and  soon  the  Guardian 
was  established  on  a  secure  basis,  superseding  the 
English  Churchman,  which  at  that  time  was  the 
organ  in  which  the  early  Tractarians  expressed 
their  views. 

The  Mathematical  Tutor  was  S.  W.  Wayte,  a  man 
of  the  greatest  industry.  At  the  time  that  he  was 
reading  for  his  double  first  class  (which  he  got), 
E.  T.  Turner  spread  a  tale  abroad  that  every  night  at 
ten  o'clock  Wayte  took  green  tea  to  keep  himself  awake, 
and  at  one  o'clock  some  opium  to  make  himself  go  to 
sleep.  Of  course  he  did  not,  but  there  was  sufficient 
verisimilitude  in  the  story  to  make  it  become  a  college 
jest.  At  a  later  date  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Oxford 
University  Commission,  and  on  the  death  of  Dr. 
Wilson  he  was  elected  President  of  the  college.  In 
this  office  he  devoted  himself  to  the  good  of  the  under- 
graduates and  other  members  of  the  college.  Pro- 
fessor Freeman,  being  asked  on  one  occasion  what 
Wayte  was  doing,  replied  :  '  I  don't  know,  but  I  should 
suppose  he  is  sitting  in  his  chair  thinking  how  he 
can  do  some  kind  act  to  someone,  or  else  doing  it.' 
He  resigned  the  presidentship  when  he  found  the 
infirmities  of  age  growing  upon  him. 

The  scholars  at  the  time  of  my  election  formed  a 
set  apart  from  the  commoners,  sitting  together  at 
dinner  in  the  hall  at  a  table  of  their  own,  and 
regarding  themselves  as  united  by  the  very  real  bond 
of  being  on  the  same  foundation,  and  therefore 
belonging  to  the  household  created  by  our  founder, 
Sir  Thomas  Pope.  The  young  scholars  were  gladly 
adopted  into  the  brotherhood  by  their  elders. 

The  senior  scholar  was  W.  Basil  Jones,  a  very  grace- 
ful scholar  (he  won  the  Ireland  Scholarship)  and  a 
man  of  profound  thought.  He  fell  into  a  second  class 
because  he  and  others  of  the  Trinity  College  scholars 


1 844 1  G.  F.  BO  WEN  17 

disdained  merely  'to  read  for  the  schools,'  thinking 
that  our  work  was  rather  to  master  our  books  and 
learn  our  philosophy  without  regard  to  the  specialities 
of  the  University  examination,  an  error  which  the 
schools  resented  and  revenged  upon  us.  He  became 
a  Fellow  of  University  College,  Archdeacon  of  York 
in  the  episcopate  of  Archbishop  Thomson,  and 
Bishop  of  St.  David's  in  succession  to  Bishop 
Thirlwall. 

The  scholar  next  in  order  was  George  Ferguson 
Bowen,  a  hearty,  genial  man,  who  worked  hard  and  got 
his  first  class.  After  this  it  was  noticed  that  he  was 
for  some  time  much  less  joyous  in  manner  and  more 
thoughtful  in  appearance  than  usual.  He  was  medi- 
tating on  his  future  course  of  life.  Presently  he  burst 
in  on  a  party  of  us  with  a  countenance  full  of  satis- 
faction :  '  I  say,  you  fellows,  I  have  cast  out  the  demon 
of  asceticism  '  (by  which  he  meant  that  he  had  given  up 
the  idea  of  a  clerical  life),  'and  am  going  in  for  /3to? 
TroXm/cos'  (a  life  of  politics).  He  therefore  left  Oxford, 
where  he  might  easily  have  got  a  Fellowship.  Five 
years  later  I  found  him  as  secretary  to  Sir  Henry 
Ward  at  Corfu,  which  at  that  time  belonged  to 
England,  together  with  the  rest  of  the  Septinsular 
Republic.  Sir  Henry  Ward  was  ruling  his  little 
kingdom  as  a  benevolent  despot,  and  Bowen  was 
helping  him  by  what  his  friends  called  his  'geniality,' 
and  his  enemies  (in  the  Edinburgh  Review)  termed  his 
'  uncontrollable  garrulity.'  While  at  Corfu  Bowen 
married  the  daughter  of  a  Greek  gentleman  and  re- 
ceived the  honour  of  a  Greek  knighthood.  At  a  later 
date  he  was  appointed  Governor  of  several  important 
English  dependencies,  and  ended  his  life  in  London. 
He  had  hoped  that  his  old  college  might  have  elected 
him  its  President  on  a  vacancy  occurring,  but  that  did 
not  take  place. 

The  third  of  the  scholars  was  Henry  James  Cole- 

2 


iS  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         [1844 

ridge,  the  son  of  Mr.  Justice  Coleridge,  of  Ottery  St. 
Mary,  and  brother  of  John  Coleridge,  afterwards  Lord 
Chief  Justice.  He  was  a  man  of  great  refinement  of 
mind  and  a  sensitiveness  that  was  somewhat  exces- 
sive. After  taking  his  degree  (he  got  a  first  class)  he 
was  ordained,  and  he  fell  in  love  with  the  daughter  of 
an  old  friend  of  his  family.  But  he  had  already  shown 
some  tendency  towards  Rome,  and  for  that  reason  the 
father  of  the  young  lady  refused  his  consent.  What 
might  have  been  the  effect  of  the  marriage  we  cannot 
tell,  but  as  it  was,  he  carried  out  the  anticipations  that 
had  been  made  of  him,  and  joined  the  Church  of  Rome, 
following  in  the  footsteps  of  Mr.  Newman.  He  became 
a  Jesuit,  and  for  some  years  edited  the  Roman  Catholic 
periodical  called  The  Month. 

The  next  scholar  was  Edward  Augustus  Freeman, 
known  afterwards  as  the  historian  of  the  Norman 
Conquest.  He  was  a  man  of  very  singular  manners 
as  an  undergraduate.  He  paid  no  regard  at  all  to 
what  people  might  think  of  him,  and  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  repeating  poetry  to  himself  as  he  walked  in 
the  streets,  and  occasionally  leaping  into  the  air  when 
the  poem  moved  him  to  any  enthusiasm.  He  was 
bitterly  disappointed  at  falling  into  a  second  class,  but 
in  spite  of  that  he  began,  immediately  the  examination 
was  over,  to  read  history  steadily  with  a  view  to  the 
future.  He  gave  himself  so  many  pages  a  day  to  read, 
one  half  of  them  being  the  same  that  he  had  read  the 
day  before,  and  the  other  half  new  matter.  His  know- 
ledge of  architecture  was  extensive  and  enthusiastic, 
but  the  great  study  o£  his  life  was  history,  and  his 
lighter  occupation  was  writing  articles  for  the  Saturday 
Review,  in  which  he  did  not  spare  his  rivals  or  oppo- 
nents. He  had  entertained  great  hopes  of  the  Chicheley 
Professorship  of  Modern  History,  to  which  Commander 
Burrows  was  elected.  Failing  that,  he  went  into  the 
country  and  lived  near  Wells  in  Somersetshire,  till 


1844]  PROFESSOR  FREEMAN  19 

in  1884  he  was  recalled  to  Oxford  by  being  nominated 
Regius  Professor  of  Modern  History.  He  was  warmly 
attached  to  the  cause  of  modern  Greek  liberty,  and 
held  the  Turks  in  abhorrence,  which  led  him  to  take 
part  in  a  series  of  anti-Turk  pamphlets  edited  by  Sir 
Arthur  Elton.  He  was  one  of  the  only  five  men,  that 
I  knew  of,  who  from  the  beginning  detested  the  Cri- 
mean War.  The  other  four  were  Lord  Lothian,  Canon 
Liddon,  Lord  Robert  Cecil,  and  myself.  He  was  a 
strong  Liberal  in  politics,  and  failed  to  get  into  Parlia- 
ment as  a  supporter  of  Mr.  Gladstone.  On  his  return 
to  Oxford,  however,  he  found  that  academic  Liberalism 
had  outstripped  him,  and  he  would  often  say,  '  Can't 
they  let  it  be  as  it  was  in  our  day  ?'  He  died  in  1892,  in 
Spain,  where  he  had  gone  chiefly  to  investigate  some 
points  of  architecture.  He  had  asked  me  to  accompany 
him  on  his  journey. 

E.  T.  Turner,  of  whose  wit  and  power  of  sarcasm  I 
have  already  spoken,  continued  after  his  marriage  to 
reside  in  the  University  as  Registrar.  H.  Wilkins, 
who  was  deaf,  was  elected  Fellow  of  Merton,  and  died 
early.  Each  of  them  got  a  first  class. 

The  remaining  scholar  was  W.  G.  Tupper,  the  most 
unselfish  and  sympathetic  of  men.  After  he  had  taken 
his  degree,  he  would  not  offer  himself  for  a  Fellowship, 
because  his  income,  though  very  moderate,  was  above 
the  limit  fixed  by  the  founder  of  the  college.  He  took 
charge  of  the  House  of  Charity  in  Soho,  and  lived 
there  among  the  poor.  He  died  at  an  early  age.  He 
was  brother  of  Martin  Farquhar  Tupper. 

One  of  the  commoners,  who  had  already  taken  his 
degree,  continued  to  reside  in  college,  and  lived  in  the 
scholars'  set — J.  L.  Patterson.  Socially  he  was  the 
pleasantest  of  companions,  with  an  infinite  number  of 
'  good  stories  '  always  at  hand,  and  ready  in  conversa- 
tion ;  but,  as  such  men  often  are,  he  was  superficial, 
and  played  on  the  surface  of  deep  questions,  which  he 

2 — 2 


20  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         [1844 

was  fond  of  touching  upon.  Carried  away  by  the 
Newman  stream,  he  joined  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
was  made  Bishop  of  Emmaus  inpartibus.  In  the  rivalry 
between  Manning  and  Newman  he  did  not  take  any 
prominent  or  decided  line.  He  was  always  pleasant 
to  his  fellow-religionists  and  to  his  old  comrades.  He 
died  in  1902. 

Balliol  is  only  divided  from  Trinity  by  a  wall,  and 
two  of  the  Balliol  scholars,  while  belonging  to  a 
society  of  their  own  in  Balliol,  were  often  found 
among  us  in  Trinity  —  James  Riddell  and  Edwin 
Palmer.  It  is  hard  to  speak  too  highly  of  either  of 
these  men. 

James  Riddell  was  the  first  Greek  scholar  of  his  day 
—  far  superior  to  Mr.  Jowett,  who  was  appointed  in 
1885  Regius  Professor  of  Greek.  On  paying  a  visit  to 
a  friend,  if  he  did  not  find  him  at  home,  he  would 
scribble  the  object  of  his  coming,  on  any  stray  piece 
of  paper  that  he  found,  in  exquisite  Greek  iambics. 
The  following  are  specimens.  The  first  is  an  invita- 
tion to  me  for  a  walk  in  the  afternoon,  and  a  *  wine  ' 
in  the  evening;  the  second  asks  me  to  meet  him 
'  under  the  griffins  '  —  that  is,  under  the  gateway 
leading  into  Trinity  College  (which  was  decorated 
with  the  figures  of  two  griffins)  —  for  a  morning  bathe. 
In  both  there  is  a  pun  on  my  name  (Meyrick,  peipd/cwv 
or  jjieipaKv\\Lov  —  a  young  man)  and  his  own  name 
(Riddell  —  riddle, 


<f>t\.i(TTOv  ofJifia  Meipa/cuAAtou, 

fj,ev  ^v  £vvOrj(i,a  KCU  TraAat 
'12s  ct  roS'  fjfjiap  £<3i/  avopfipov  ev 
"Qpav  oSbv  crreAoTxrti/  a/x<£t  Sevrepav. 
'AAA'  et  ri  TTOV  crot  TOLVT'  apapc  /t^Keri, 
Mr)  <£/)ovT«7?7S  vwf  TOV  TraXat  ^vvBrj  paras' 
KaAws  8'  exovTtov,  a/tytei/w  /loAovra  ae 
Twv  Macrova'cov  Sw/^aTiov  iJTravAos  oil/. 
Mi)  S'  ovv  ra\vvr)s  #a<rcrov  fj  xaQ*  f)Sovr)v. 


1844]  JAMES  RIDDELL  21 


oroi  yap  ei/u*  rov  \povov  8}  ov  roi  <£0 

8}  OTHOS  Trap'  rjfuv  ecrTrc/xx?  ecrei, 
(jkiAotcrii/  ^V/XTTOT^S,  BaK^ov  ^a/)iv. 
v  S'  oTarBa  y'  carts  ei/u"  ^u,tuv  rjvt,£dfj,r)v  ; 


The  MacoveLwv  Sw/judrcov  were  Mason's  lodgings, 
where  he  was  then  living.  The  second  piece  is 
shorter  : 

</>av?7(ret,  (fratSpe  Meipa 


NVKTOS'  TO  T'  Ai'viy/x,'  o&Trcp  Zypaif/ev  ra8e. 

There  are  not  many  men  who  could  scribble  off 
such  lines  as  those  with  a  pencil  on  an  old  envelope 
in  the  time  that  another  would  be  writing  a  message 
in  English.  He  was  not  only  a  scholar;  he  was  also 
the  clearest-headed  of  thinkers.  Our  thoughts,  I  have 
heard  him  say,  should  not  be  tangled  together  like 
briars  and  brushwood,  but  should  each  separately 
spring  into  the  air  like  a  vigorous  and  independent 
tree.  He  stood  in  the  foremost  rank,  not  only  intel- 
lectually, but  also  in  physical  exercises,  which  perhaps 
exacted  too  much  of  a  student's  frame.  Whatever  was 
the  cause,  he  passed  away  in  the  early  morning  of  his 
life,  leaving  behind  him  a  very  noble  memory  of  one 
incapable  of  stooping  to  anything  low  or  petty,  or  of 
conceiving  any  but  high  ideas  clothed  in  fairest  form. 

His  brother  scholar,  and  afterwards  brother-in-law, 
Edwin  Palmer,  was  the  first  Latin  scholar  in  the 
University,  as  Riddell  was  the  first  Greek  scholar. 
Having  won  almost  all  the  prizes  and  honours  of  the 
University  that  could  be  won,  he  became  Professor  of 
Latin,  and  subsequently  Archdeacon  of  Oxford,  having 
refused  the  deanery  of  Lincoln.  He  belonged  to  a 
remarkable  family.  His  father  was  a  specimen  of  the 
better  race  of  clergy  to  be  found  in  the  English  Church 
in  the  time  of  our  fathers  or  grandfathers.  He  was 


22  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         [1844 

contented  with  feeding  a  simple  flock  committed  to 
him  at  Mixbury,  and  in  giving  the  first  impulse  to  his 
able  sons  in  the  course  that  they  were  to  pursue. 
William  Palmer,  afterwards  Fellow  of  Magdalen, 
who  interested  himself  in  an  attempt  to  restore 
communion  between  the  Oriental  and  the  Anglican 
Churches;  Roundell  Palmer,  afterwards  Lord  Selborne, 
Lord  Chancellor  of  England  ;  and  Edwin  Palmer,  Pro- 
fessor and  Archdeacon,  were  no  common  men.  The 
Archdeacon  was  from  his  undergraduate  days  singu- 
larly complete.  He  could  always  be  trusted  for  a 
sound  judgment,  and,  if  the  case  concerned  himself, 
for  acting  on  that  judgment,  while  his  sympathetic 
and  affectionate  nature  made  him  a  referee  to  many 
who  were  in  perplexity  or  difficulty.  At  the  same 
time,  his  boyish  spirits  never  deserted  him  throughout 
his  life. 

Such  was  the  society,  consisting  of  men  of  high 
thinking  and  equally  high  conduct,  into  which 
Wharton  Booth  Marriott,  William  Foxley  Norris, 
and  myself,  were  admitted  as  younger  brethren  in 
January,  1844.  A  sketch  of  our  undergraduate  life 
for  the  next  three  years  will  be  found  contributed  by 
me  to  the  Memorials  of  W.  B.  Marriott,  published  in 


Wharton  Marriott  was  a  man  with  great  strength 
of  character.  He  was  strong  in  body,  strong  in  mind, 
older  than  his  contemporaries,  and  had  gone  through 
Eton.  This  made  him  take  a  leading  position  among 
us,  and  his  healthy  muscularity  and  genial  wit  and 
humour  were  very  useful  to  repress  any  morbid 
tendencies  towards  asceticism  wrhich,  under  the 
circumstances  of  the  University,  might  have  sprung 
up  among  us.  After  taking  his  degree,  he  became 
Fellow  of  Exeter,  and  then  a  master  at  Eton.  In 
1871  he  was  elected  Grinfield  Lecturer  at  Oxford,  and 
delivered  a  very  valuable  lecture  on  'Terms  of  Gift 


x844l  WHARTON  B.  MARRIOTT  23 

and  Offering  in  Scripture/  He  was  a  great  writer. 
Besides  ephemeral  articles  and  sermons,  he  composed 
a  treatise  on  the  Eucharist  in  reply  to  some  statements 
and  positions  of  the  Rev.  T.  T.  Carter.  His  Vestiarium 
Christianum  is  the  best  authority  on  the  subject  of 
ecclesiastical  vestments  at  the  present  day.  He  died 
early,  when  he  was  only  forty-eight.  He  was  cousin 
to  the  Rev.  C.  Marriott,  whose  life  Dean  Burgon  has 
written  in  his  Twelve  Good  Men. 

W.  Foxley  Norris  and  myself  were  assigned  rooms 
in  the  same  staircase  in  our  first  term,  and  from  thence 
began  a  friendship  which  has  continued  unbroken  down 
to  the  present  year  (1905).  He  was  a  man  of  sensitive, 
refined  and  affectionate  disposition,  very  popular  in 
the  college,  and  unspoilt  by  his  popularity.  After 
taking  his  degree  and  being  ordained,  he  filled  several 
curacies,  became  Vicar  of  Buckingham,  and  was  trans- 
ferred thence  by  Bishop  Mackarness  to  Witney  (famous 
for  its  blankets),  which  he  resigned  in  1903.  He  is 
an  honorary  Canon  of  Christ  Church  Cathedral,  and 
represented  the  clergy  in  Convocation  for  some  years. 

1  have  already  stated  that  early  in  my  undergraduate 
life  I  had  to  go  to  see  J.  H.  Newman  in  behalf  of  my 
cousin.  I  had  heard  Newman's  last  sermon  before  the 
University  when  I  was  standing  for  a  scholarship, 
and  he  had  now  retired  to  Littlemore,  where  he  had 
established  a  quasi-monastery  for  himself  and  a  few 
of  his  followers.!  I  had  been  to  it  more  than  once 
with  my  cousin,  who  went  to  see  Messrs.  Dalgairns 
and  St.  John,  who  were  resident  there,  and  now  I  had 
to  go  on  behalf  of  my  cousin.  I  have  two  short  notes 
which  Newman  wrote  to  me  on  the  occasion.  I  was 
not  brought  into  contact  with  him  again  until  he 
published  his  Apologia  pro  Vita  mea  in  answer  to 
Charles  Kingsley.  This  led  to  my  writing  two 
pamphlets — But  is  not  Kingsley  right,  after  all?  and 
On  Dr.  Newman's  Rejection  of  Liguori — in  1864.  On 


24  GLADSTONE  ON  NEWMAN  [1875 

the  receipt  of  the  first  of  these,  Mr.  Gladstone  wrote 
on  October  31,  1864  : 

'  DEAR  MR.  MEYRICK, 

'  Many  thanks  for  your  able  and  interesting 
pamphlet.  Dr.  Newman  has  had  immeasurably  the 
best  of  it  in  the  rest  of  the  controversy,  but  I  think  he 
will  find  it  difficult  to  make  a  sufficient  answer  to  you. 
Nor  shall  I  be  surprised  if  he  proves  to  be  of  the  same 
opinion. 

4  Believe  me, 

*  Most  faithfully  yours, 

*  W.  E.  GLADSTONE.' 

Eleven  years  after  this,  Mr.  Gladstone  having 
publicly  praised  Dr.  Newman,  I  wrote  a  pamphlet— 
Does  Dr.  Newman  deserve  Mr.  Gladstone's  Praises  ? 
—on  which  I  received  the  following  letter  from 
Mr.  Gladstone,  which  is  of  extreme  interest,  as  it 
contains  his  estimate  of  Dr.  Newman's  character  : 

4  23,  CARLTON  HOUSE  TERRACE, 
'  April  26,  1875. 

*  DEAR  MR.  MEYRICK, 

*  I  must  not  shrink  from  admitting  that  I 
follow  with  general  assent  the  argument  of  the  tract 
on  my  commendation  of  Dr.  Newman,  which  you  have 
so  kindly  sent  me. 

' 1  have,  without  doubt,  spoken  freely  and  largely  of 
his  merits,  but  indirectly  and  with  reserve  of  his 
defects. 

1  To  this  I  was  moved  by  recollection  of  much  kind- 
ness ;  by  my  belief  in  his  truthfulness  of  intention  ;  by 
my  admiration  of  the  disinterestedness  which  has 
marked  his  life,  his  content  in  an  outward  obscurity, 
his  superiority  to  vulgar  ambitions.  I  was  sure,  too, 
that  he  had,  in  dealing  with  me,  repressed  thoughts 


is/si  GLADSTONE  ON  NEWMAN  25 

and  words  of  wrath  ;  and  finally,  as  I  was  at  this 
time  in  much  correspondence  with  thorough-paced 
Vaticanists,  I  saw  him  shine  morally  in  the  contrast 
with  them.  Besides  a  want  of  robustness  of  character, 
I  have  ventured  to  glance  at  an  obliquity  of  intellect. 
The  first  he  has  shown  by  shrinking  from  the  bold 
action  to  which  his  insight,  and  many  of  his  avowals, 
should  have  led  him,  and  also  in  his  adopting  for  some 
time  after  his  secession  too  much  of  the  ordinary  tone 
of  the  Romish  controversialist.  The  latter  defect  of 
his  mind  is  too  traceable  in  all  his  works,  and  the 
effect  is,  for  practical  purposes,  you  might  as  well 
argue  with  a  Jesuit.  His  mind  seems  to  be  nearly  the 
opposite  of  Bishop  Butler's,  whom,  nevertheless,  he 
sincerely,  but  I  should  say  ignorantly,  worships,  as 
the  Athenians  worshipped  the  unknown  God.  He 
constantly  reminds  me  of  a  very  different  man,  Lord 
Westbury,  in  this  great  point,  that  he  is  befooled  by 
the  subtlety  of  his  own  intellect.  I  always  felt  that 
Westbury,  when  he  was  wrong,  lost  the  chance  that 
we  ordinary  mortals  possess  of  getting  right,  because 
we  feel  a  greater  difficulty  in  sustaining  untrue  pro- 
positions ;  but  in  Westbury  it  was  the  same  thing,  in 
point  of  difficulty,  to  sustain  a  sound  or  unsound 
argument.  So  it  is  with  Dr.  Newman. 

'  But  I  must  not  pursue  further  this  very  curious 
subject. 

*  Believe  me, 

*  Most  faithfully  yours, 

'  W.  E.  GLADSTONE. 

1  Kingsley  contrived  to  get  defeated  in  his  own  case, 
while  you,  in  a  very  short  pamphlet,  most  conclusively 
established  what  he  had  really  meant.' 

I  did  not  meet  Dr.  Newman  again  until  he  came  to 
Oxford  at  the  invitation  of  Dr.  Percival  (Bishop  of 
Hereford),  who  was  then  President  of  Trinity  College, 


26  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         [1880 

in  1880,  to  dine  at  the  High  Table  after  having  been 
elected  an  honorary  Fellow  of  Trinity.  He  was  then 
a  bent  old  man,  bedizened  with  pieces  of  red  indicating 
that  he  was  a  Cardinal.  I  happened  to  have  gone  up 
to  my  old  college  on  the  same  day,  and  I  sat  next  but 
one  to  him  at  dinner,  Henry  Coleridge  sitting  between 
us.  On  hearing  my  name,  he  leant  across,  and  said  :  4 1 
think  I  used  to  know  Mr.  Meyrick  formerly  ?'  *  Yes/ 
I  said,  *  thirty-five  years  ago/  After  dinner  he  went 
to  the  President's  lodgings,  and  entered  into  un- 
polemical  conversation  with  any  of  us  that  pleased  to 
talk  to  him.  At  dinner  his  health  was  given  by 
Professor  Bryce,  who  congratulated  him  on  having 
brought  about  a  state  of  theological  liberalism  or 
indifferentism  in  Oxford,  the  one  thing  which  from  the 
beginning  of  his  life  to  its  end  he  abhorred.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  he  paid  a  visit  to  his  old  and  beloved 
friend,  Dr.  Pusey.  '  Newman,'  said  Pusey,  after  the 
first  greetings,  '  the  Oxford  Liberals  are  playing  you 
like  a  card  against  us  who  are  trying  to  preserve  the 
religious  character  of  the  University.'  He  was  made 
much  of  during  this  visit.  College  Gardens  were 
lighted  in  his  honour,  and  he  held  receptions  of 
admirers.  But  it  was  his  old  enemies,  whom  he  had 
fought  a  entrance,  and  whose  principles  he  hated  now 
from  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  who  flocked  round  him 
as  their  champion,  and  thanked  him  for  what  he  had 
done  in  demolishing  the  power  of  the  Church  of 
England  in  Oxford. 

It  is  an  entire  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  religious 
movement  in  Oxford  of  the  last  century  owes  its  origin 
to  Newman,  or  required  his  help  for  its  success.  It 
would  have  taken  place  had  Newman  not  existed, 
though  the  fire  would  not  have  blazed  up  so  rapidly 
nor  so  fiercely  if  he  had  not  been  there  to  feed  it. 

But  a  steadily  burning  flame  is  in  the  end  more 
useful  and  more  effective  than  the  furious  and  evanes- 


i88o]  JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  27 

cent  upshooting  of  blazing  tongues  of  fire ;  and  though 
the  Oxford  revival  would  have  been  less  picturesque 
without  Newman,  it  would  have  been  more  beneficial. 
It  would  then  have  been  under  the  direction  of  Keble, 
Pusey,  Palmer,  Sewell,  Rose,  and  others,  who  would 
have  kept  it  in  its  proper  course.  As  soon  as  he  had 
joined  it,  Newman  could  not  but  be  the  controlling 
power.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who  must  be  first, 
and  must  stamp  his  own  personality  on  others  without 
making  concession  in  turn  to  them.  From  the  first  he 
was  the  disquieting  element  in  the  body  of  associates ; 
when  Palmer  tried  to  restrain  his  individuality  by 
giving  a  revising  power  to  a  committee,  he  broke  away 
from  the  shackles  which  would  have  been  thus  cast 
around  him.  The  result  was  that  he  made  himself 
master  of  the  situation,  and  led  his  followers  full  upon 
the  rocks,  on  which  they  were  broken  to  pieces,  like 
a  wave  when  it  dashes  against  a  cliff.  The  Tractarian 
Movement,  as  a  concerted  movement,  failed,  and  turned 
out  a  fiasco,  because  Newman  led  it.  Keen  as  was  his 
intellect,  Newman  was  never  guided  by  his  reason,  but 
always  by  his  emotions ;  and  a  man  so  constituted 
cannot  lead  a  host  to  victory,  though  he  may  stir  up 
in  them  the  enthusiasm  which,  if  directed  aright, 
insures  success. 

It  is  interesting  to  see  the  employment  to  which 
Newman  put  his  intellect.  It  was  not  the  directing 
force  within  him,  but  it  was  a  faculty  of  extraordinary 
power  which  he  used,  like  a  powerful  slave  to  which 
he  gave  his  orders  for  reconciling  to  his  own  con- 
science any  course  that  his  will  and  affections  had  pre- 
viously determined  upon.  It  was  so  subtle  that  it 
beguiled  him,  and  easily  persuaded  him  that  anything 
that  he  chose  to  do  or  to  say  was  right.  His  mind 
was  naturally  sceptical,  like  his  brother's  ;  but  his  affec- 
tions forced  him  to  resolve  by  an  act  of  will  to  be  a 
believer,  and  his  intellect  was  then  called  on  to  justify 


28  JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  [1890 

his  resolution  to  himself  and  to  the  world.  The  more 
that  this  process  went  on — and  it  grew  upon  him  with 
his  years — belief  lost  the  true  character  of  belief,  and 
became  acceptance.  Whether  he  gave  an  inward  assent 
to  a  tenet  or  whether  he  did  not,  he  would  accept  it  if 
it  came  from  a  quarter  to  which  he  was  inclined  to  pay 
deference.  We  know  that  in  his  heart  he  regarded 
the  doctrine  of  the  Pope's  Infallibility  the  work  of '  an 
insolent  and  aggressive  faction ';  nevertheless,  as  soon 
as  it  was  declared,  he  accepted  it,  not  with  what  we 
understand  by  belief,  but  with  assent.  So  with  the 
dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  :  he  accepted 
it  when  declared,  and  condescended  to  justify  it  by 
arguing  in  its  favour  from  a  known  misreading  in 
Irenaeus,  the  true  character  of  which  he  ignored  until 
he  was  compelled  to  acknowledge  it. 

In  argument  he  was  not  a  scrupulous  combatant,  as 
was  seen,  in  his  controversy  with  Kingsley,  by  his 
framing  the  whole  of  his  defence  of  Liguori's  theory 
of  truthfulness  on  the  assumption  that  by  the  expres- 
sion '  on  just  cause '  Liguori  meant  *  in  an  extreme 
case/  and,  after  he  had  framed  the  defence,  withdrawing 
the  assumption  in  an  appendix,  without  withdrawing 
the  argument  founded  on  it.  His  method  of  putting 
on  an  innocent  face  and  passing  off  some  fallacy  as  an 
undoubted  axiom — e.g.,  that  it  is  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil,  not  celibacy,  which  has  caused  and 
causes  immoral  life  in  a  celibate  clergy  (as  though  no 
one  had  ever  heard  of  the  distinction  between  a  cause 
and  an  occasion) — becomes  provoking  and  monotonous 
when  it  has  been  noticed  more  than  a  certain  number 
of  times,  and  observed  to  be  habitual. 

Few  men  have  been  so  conspicuous  for  bringing 
about  that  which  they  specially  aimed  at  resisting 
as  Dr.  Newman.  He  organized  the  forces  of  Belief 
against  Unbelief,  and  then,  deserting  his  soldiers  in 
the  conflict,  he  fell  back  and  hurled  weapons  on  them 


i89o]  JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  29 

from  behind  till  they  lost  half  their  confidence.  He 
was  a  dogmatist  to  his  marrow,  and  yet  his  teaching 
and  example  drove  man  after  man  of  his  followers  (to 
whom  he  gave  only  the  choice  of  all  or  nothing)  into 
scepticism.  He  loved  the  ecclesiastical  character  of 
Oxford,  and  he  destroyed  it.  He  loved  the  Church  of 
England,  and  he  assailed  it  with  all  his  force  and  with 
envenomed  weapons  of  offence.  He  loved  the  party 
which  he  led  at  the  University,  and  he  scattered  it  to 
the  winds".'.  His  one  object  of  abhorrence  throughout 
his  life  was  Liberalism,  and  he  became  the  darling 
and  the  cat's-paw  of  Liberals,  while  he  spread  dismay 
and  disorganization  through  the  ranks  of  their  oppo- 
nents, whom  he  had  betrayed.  The  old  man  must 
have  winced  as  he  sat,  with  bowed  head,  listening  to 
the  praises  poured  upon  him  by  Professor  Bryce  on 
his  last  visit  to  Oxford.  '  Such  a  scene,'  said  the 
Professor,  *  could  not  have  taken  place  till  of  late. 
Formerly  religious  bigotry  would  not  allow  any  but 
a  member  of  the  Church  to  receive  the  honours  of  the 
University  and  the  college,  but  we  had  changed  all 
that.  Now  anyone  intellectually  eminent  was  wel- 
comed, religious  barriers  were  thrown  down,  and  for 
that  benefit  Oxford  was  grateful  to  Dr.  Newman.' 
This  was  the  principle  that  Newman  had  been  fighting 
against  all  his  life,  which  he  hated  still  with  profoundest 
hatred,  and,  lo !  he  was  represented  as  the  champion 
who  had  caused  it  to  triumph.  And  the  representation 
was  true.  When  Pusey  said  to  him,  'Newman,  the 
Oxford  Liberals  are  playing  you  like  a  card  against  us,' 
by  Liberals  he  did  not  mean  Liberals  in  politics,  but  in 
theology — men  whose  object  it  was  to  drive  all  definite 
religion  out  of  the  University.  Newman  lived  long 
enough  to  see  the  very  men  who  would  have  stoned 
him  as  a  bigot  in  his  earlier  career  build  his  sepulchre, 
to  the  sound  of  drums  and  fifes  in  honour  of  one 
who  had  done  so  much  to  undermine  and  weaken  the 


30  JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  [1890 

institution  on  which  the  continuance  of  religion  as  a 
powerful  influence  in  England  depends. 

The  record  of  Newman's  life  is  a  sad  one.  It  is  the 
record  of  one  who,  endowed  with  great  powers,  warm 
affections,  strong  will,  high  purpose,  and  a  desire  to 
do  right,  damaged  profoundly  the  cause  which  he  had 
most  at  heart,  and  promoted  that  which  he  most 
abhorred. 

On  Dr.  Newman's  death  he  became  the  object  of  a 
hero-worship  which  was  most  creditable  to  the  gene- 
rosity of  Englishmen,  but  in  many  respects,  as  I 
thought,  undeserved.  Accordingly,  I  wrote  an  article 
in  the  Churchman  deprecating  this  phase  of  the  public 
mind,  and  showing  how  aptly  the  words  of  Vincentius 
Lirinensis  respecting  Origen  and  Tertullian  applied 
in  a  lesser  degree  to  Dr.  Newman.  Tertullian,  who 
had  been  the  champion  and  hero  of  the  Church, 
deserted  her,  and  became  the  ornament  of  the  Mon- 
tanist  sect,  which  he  enriched  with  the  learning  that 
he  had  brought  from  the  Church  ;  while  he  assailed 
the  Church  with  the  bitterness  he  had  borrowed  from 
his  new  allies.  Origen,  according  to  Vincentius,  was 
a  man  of  many  gifts,  rare,  singular,  and  strange,  of 
great  industry  and  patience,  quick  of  wit,  unrivalled 
in  learning,  so  sweet  of  speech  that  honey  seemed  to 
drop  from  his  mouth,  so  forcible  in  argument  that  he 
seemed  to  be  able  to  make  anything  easy  of  accept- 
ance, surrounded  by  friends  and  pupils  who  were 
ready  to  err  with  Origen  rather  than  be  right  with 
anyone  else.  Both  of  these  teachers,  according  to 
Vincentius,  discrediting  their  earlier  writings  by  later 
errors,  became  a  great  temptation  to  many.  '  And 
surely,'  continues  Vincentius,  '  a  great  temptation  it  is, 
when  as  he  whom  you  think  a  prophet,  a  disciple  of 
the  prophets,  whom  you  esteem  a  doctor  and  main- 
tamer  of  the  truth,  whom  you  have  highly  reverenced, 
and  most  entirely  loved,  when  he  suddenly  and  privily 


1 844l  W.  G.  PALGRAVE  31 

bringeth  in  pernicious  errors,  which  neither  you  can 
quickly  spy,  led  away  with  prejudice  of  your  old 
teacher,  nor  can  easily  bring  your  mind  to  condemn, 
hindered  with  love  to  your  old  master.'  That  was 
the  frame  of  mind  of  many  of  Newman's  friends  and 
followers  towards  him. 

At  the  beginning  of  my  second  term,  W.  G.  Palgrave, 
who  had  been  elected  scholar  with  Marriott,  Norris, 
and  myself,  came  into  residence.  He  differed  from 
the  rest  of  us  in  many  ways.  He  was  not  only  a  man 
of  great  ability  and  great  force  of  character,  but  also 
of  inordinate  ambition.  At  Oxford  he  tried  to  be 
foremost  at  once  in  the  reading  set  and  in  the  so-called 
1  fast '  set,  and  consequently  he  failed  in  each  case. 
After  having  done  very  well  in  the  schools,  he  made 
up  his  mind  that  the  sword,  not  the  pen,  was  the 
instrument  by  which  to  force  a  path  to  favour  in  the 
present  state  of  the  world.  He  joined  the  army,  but 
falling  sick  and  being  kindly  received  by  some  Jesuits, 
and  finding  himself  altogether  disappointed  in  his 
expectation  of  advancement,  he  gave  up  military  life 
and  became  himself  a  Jesuit.  Before  much  time  had 
passed  he  hated  the  Jesuits  and  all  their  ways  with  the 
bitterest  of  hatred.  Being  appointed  by  Napoleon  III. 
to  obtain  some  information  for  him  from  Mecca,  he 
feigned  to  be  a  Mahometan  doctor  of  medicine,  and 
made  his  journey  to  Mecca  and  back  in  safety.  He 
wrote  an  account  of  his  adventures,  and  in  his  book 
he  gave  a  minute  description  of  the  Wahabees,  whom 
he  represented  as  the  evil  geniuses  of  Mahometanism. 
It  did  not  require  much  reading  between  the  lines  to 
see  that  by  Wahabees  he  meant  Jesuits,  and  by 
Mahometanism  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  After 
his  travels  he  came  back  to  England,  and  went 
to  Norwich,  where  I  officiated  at  his  marriage  with 
his  cousin.  At  this  time  he  had  been  appointed  as 
English  Consul,  or  Consul-General,  at  Trebizond. 


32  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         [1844 

At  the  wedding  breakfast  he  told  his  wife  that  she 
would  have  to  wear  the  yashmak,  or  veil,  in  order  to 
be  like  the  Turkish  ladies.  I  said  to  her  that  I  did 
not  often  preach  to  a  wife  rebellion  against  her 
husband,  and  certainly  I  had  never  yet  done  so  at  the 
wedding  breakfast,  but  that  I  had  no  hesitation  in 
advising  her  to  revolt  if  any  such  rule  were  laid  upon 
her.  They  did  not  stay  long  at  that  post,  and  he  died 
without  having  realized  any  of  his  ambitions  except 
as  a  writer  of  travels. 

It  was  during  this  term  that  Thomas  B.  Colenso 
came  to  Trinity  from  Cambridge,  where  he  had  resided 
one  term,  and  joined  the  scholars'  set.  We  were  all 
at  this  time  young  men  of  slender  means,  and  we  none 
of  us  had  any  inclination  towards  extravagance.  I 
suppose  that,  tuition  included,  our  expenses  did  not 
exceed  ,£150  a  year.  But  Colenso  was  still  more 
pinched,  or,  rather,  he  knew  that  his  expenses  neces- 
sarily, for  the  time,  fell  upon  others.  Consequently 
he  gave  it  to  be  understood  that  he  could  not  exercise 
hospitality.  The  rest  of  us  respected  him  the  more 
for  his  straightforwardness  and  courage,  and  felt  much 
honoured  when  he  came  to  our  breakfasts  or  *  wines.' 
But  he  went  too  far.  Once  or  twice  a  week  he  did 
without  his  regular  dinner,  to  save  expense,  and  this 
perhaps  sowed  the  seeds  of  a  rapid  consumption, 
which  carried  him  off  soon  after  he  had  taken  his 
degree.  After  his  death,  his  brother,  the  Bishop  of 
Natal,  wrote  to  me  to  say  that  while  his  brother's 
mind  was  wandering  he  suddenly  exclaimed  :  '  Ah, 
here's  my  friend  Meyrick  come  to  see  me.'  I  calculated 
the  time,  and  found  that  I  was  sleeping  at  the  moment, 
and  I  tried  to  persuade  myself  that  my  spirit  had  gone 
to  say  farewell  to  him.  The  Bishop  of  Natal  I  only 
knew  before  he  left  England  for  South  Africa,  when 
he  had  adopted  none  of  his  rationalist  or  Higher 
Critical  views.  After  his  deposition,  Bishop  Gray 


i845l  I.  GREGORY  SMITH  33 

sounded  me  as  to  the  possibility  of  my  accepting  the 
post  of  Bishop  of  Maritzburg. 

The  two  scholars  next  added  to  the  existing  body 
were  Isaac  Gregory  Smith  and  George  W.  Cox. 

I.  G.  Smith's  scholarship  was  proved  by  his  winning 
both  the  Hertford  and  the  Ireland  Scholarships,  which 
are  the  tests  of  Latin  and  Greek  scholarship.  After 
his  ordination  he  took  charge  of  various  parishes 
-Tedstone  -  Delamere,  Great  Malvern,  and  Great 
Shefford.  He  would  make  an  ideal  Dean  of  a  cathe- 
dral, being  at  once  a  theologian  and  a  poet,  fond  of 
metaphysical  studies,  and  a  man  of  earnest  piety. 
But  he  is  very  retiring  and  self-repressive.  He  acted 
as  examining  chaplain  to  Bishop  Basil  Jones.  He  is 
a  non-residentiary  Canon  of  Worcester. 

George  W.  Cox,  who  came  up  at  the  same  time, 
succeeded  to  a  baronetcy  in  his  later  life.  During  his 
Oxford  career  he  was  a  strong  High  Churchman,  more 
dogmatic  than  any  of  his  associates.  Suddenly  (so 
far  as  his  friends  know)  he  changed  his  principles  and 
opinions,  and  became  as  strongly  rationalist  as  he 
had  been  Tractarian.  On  Bishop  Colenso's  death  he 
was  invited  by  Colenso's  partisans  to  succeed  him  as 
Bishop  of  what  had  now  become  a  sect.  He  accepted 
the  invitation,  but  could  find  no  Bishop  to  consecrate 
him,  and  he  died  incumbent  of  Scrayingham.  He 
wrote  many  tales  from  classical  history. 

In  1846  Marriott,  Norris,  and  myself,  with  G.  E. 
Ranken,  a  scholar  of  University  College,  went  on  a 
long  vacation  reading-party  to  St.  David's.  Being 
assured  of  our  own  willingness  to  work,  we  took  no 
tutor  with  us,  which  was  a  mistake  so  far  as  prepara- 
tion for  the  schools  went.  We  read  from  7.30  a.m.  to 
2  p.m.  (giving  ourselves  one  hour's  break  at  ten  o'clock, 
when  we  attended  the  cathedral  service),  and  from  7  to 
10  p.m.  The  afternoon  was  given  to  exercise,  chiefly 
bathing  and  rock-climbing.  These  last  were  not  with- 

3 


34  ST.  DAVID'S  [1846 

out  the  pleasurable  excitement  of  some  danger.  On 
one  occasion  Marriott,  walking  in  front  of  me,  was 
swept  from  beneath  a  cliff  by  a  wave,  which  was 
happily  so  massive  as  to  carry  him  out  to  sea  over 
some  dangerous  rocks.  On  another  occasion  I  nearly 
fainted  from  exhaustion  in  swimming  further  than  my 
physical  powers  permitted,  and  might  have  sunk  had 
it  not  been  for  the  encouragement  given  me  by  Henry 
Polehampton  (an  Oxford  man,  afterwards  chaplain  at 
Lucknow  during  the  Mutiny),  who  had  joined  us  on 
the  day ;  and  a  few  hours  afterwards  I  caught  him  as 
he  had  missed  his  footing  and  was  falling  from  a  cliff 
to  an  abyss  beneath  him.  Polehampton  and  several 
other  Oxford  men  took  the  opportunity  of  our  being 
at  St.  David's  to  visit  it.  Among  them  was  Basil 
Jones,  afterwards  Bishop  of  St.  David's.  The  old 
cathedral  city,  now  sunk  into  a  small  village,  had 
always  appealed  to  him,  and  he  had,  with  E.  A.  Free- 
man, written  a  valuable  work  on  its  history  and 
antiquities.  Hearing  that  I  was  going  to  St.  David's, 
he  addressed  the  following  lines  to  me  : 

'FRIDERICO   MEYRICK   MENEVIAM  ADITURO. 

'  And  thou  wilt  wend  to  the  West,  my  friend, 

To  the  happy  sunset  shore  ; 
And  thou  wilt  greet  the  hallowed  seat 

Where  saints  have  sat  of  yore  : 
Where  hour  by  hour  the  Minster  tower 

Watcheth  a  dreary  land, 
Till  the  golden  sun,  his  course  y-run, 

Kindles  the  broken  strand  : 
Where  the  waters  sleep  full  dark  and  deep 

Beneath  the  waves'  wild  roll, 
And  give  thee  a  token  of  peace  unbroken 

That  lies  in  the  inner  soul. 

*  Oh,  sweet  to  me  are  the  shades  that  be 

These  thoughtful  walls  among,* 
And  the  sullen  swell  of  the  nightly  bell, 
And  the  quiet  vesper-song  : 


*  At  Oxford. 


i846]  BISHOP  BASIL  JONES  35 

And  sweet  to  me  in  mine  own  countrie 

Broad  flood  and  mountain  gray, 
With  the  silvery  gleams  of  the  flashing  streams, 

And  the  woodlands  green  and  gay  : 
But  I'd  give  them  all  for  the  lights  that  fall 

On  that  dreary  shore  at  even, — 
For  the  song  of  the  sea  is  its  melody, 

And  its  beauty  the  sheen  of  heaven  !' 

June  12,  1846. 

Perhaps  it  was  Basil  Jones's  instigation,  perhaps  it 
was  the  very  pitifulness  of  the  scene  that  had  been 
before  our  eyes  for  some  weeks  past,  which  made  us 
write  to  the  eminent  architect,  W.  Butterfield,  and  ask 
him  to  come  down  and  see  if  something  could  not 
be  done  towards  the  restoration  of  the  cathedral. 
Mr.  Butterfield  came,  and,  immensely  interested  both 
in  the  old  half -ruined  building  and  in  the  zeal  of 
a  few  penniless  undergraduates  who  were  set  on 
restoring  a  cathedral,  he  lent  us  all  his  sympathy  and 
help.  When  we  had  collected  a  little  money,  he  gave 
us  a  design  for  the  restoration  of  the  screen — it  was 
all  that  our  purses  would  allow — and  so  began  the 
restoration  of  St.  David's  Cathedral,  which  has  since 
been  so  happily  carried  out,  the  progress  of  which 
Basil  Jones  was  able  to  watch  as  Bishop  of  the 
diocese. 

About  this  time  there  came  up  to  Trinity  a  young 
freshman  in  whom  Norris  and  I  were  interested — 
John  E.  Bowden.  His  father,  author  of  the  Life  of 
Gregory  VIL,  had  been  a  firm  Anglican  Churchman, 
but  he  died,  and  his  widow  got  caught  in  the  Newman 
stream,  which  landed  her  in  Rome.  She  and  Newman, 
who  was  her  counsellor,  wished  John  to  have  the 
advantage  of  an  Oxford  education,  feeling  secure  of 
him  in  the  end.  After  two  years  the  genius  loci  seemed 
to  be  getting  hold  of  him,  and  they  thought  it  hardly 
safe  for  him  to  continue.  So  Newman  looked  at  him 
through  his  spectacles,  and  said :  '  Ah,  John,  your 


36  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD         [1846 

father  would  have  been  much  grieved  at  your  standing 
apart  from  your  mother  and  the  rest  of  the  family.' 
What  could  the  boy  do  ?  He  had  been  taught  to 
worship  Newman,  and  to  regard  him  as  his  fathers 
old  friend.  It  was  only  his  father's  memory  that  kept 
him  straight,  for  he  was  guided  more  by  his  affections 
than  by  reasoning,  and  now  that  support  was  knocked 
away.  But  Newman  had  no  right  to  say  those  words. 
His  father  had  always  been  a  faithful  son  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  his  mother  had  no  right  to  assume 
that  he  would  have  made  a  change  of  front  because 
Newman  did.  John  Bowden  was  ordained  afterwards 
in  the  Roman  Church,  and  was,  I  believe,  a  popular 
priest  at  the  Brompton  Oratory. 


CHAPTER  II 

Fellowship  at  Trinity  College,  Oxford — Tutorship  in  Scotland — 
Bishop  Charles  Wordsworth — John  Keble. 

AT  the  beginning  of  1847,  having  taken  my  degree, 
I  was  elected  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  being  then 
just  past  twenty  years  of  age.  About  the  same 
time  I  received  a  proposal  from  Lady  Lothian — Cecil, 
Marchioness  of  Lothian — to  take  charge  of  her  boys 
during  their  holidays,  which  coincided  with  a  part 
of  my  vacations.  Accordingly,  I  went  to  Eton  and 
picked  up  Lord  Lothian,  the  eldest  of  the  boys,  and 
travelled  with  him  to  Ingestre,  the  seat  of  Lady 
Lothian's  father,  Earl  Talbot,  with  whom  she  was 
then  staying.  Lord  Talbot  was  an  old  man,  who  died 
about  two  years  afterwards.  He  was  surrounded  by 
a  detachment  of  his  tall  sons  and  his  one  daughter. 
The  eldest  of  his  sons  was  Lord  Ingestre,  who  on  his 
father's  death  became  Earl  Talbot,  and  afterwards 
succeeded  to  the  earldom  of  Shrewsbury,  having 
proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  House  of  Lords  that 
he  was  nearest  of  kin  to  the  late  Earl.  He  had 
been  in  the  navy  as  a  young  man,  and  was,  I  believe, 
sent  home  with  the  despatches  giving  an  account  of 
the  victory  of  Navarino.  He  retained  something  of 
the  bluff  sailor  character,  whence  the  late  Queen  called 
him  her  rough  diamond.  He  married  a  Beresford, 
and  was  the  father  of  the  four  strikingly  handsome 
daughters  :  Lady  Victoria,  who  died  at  Naples ;  Lady 

37 


38  INGESTRE  [1847 

Constance,  who  married  her  cousin,  the  eighth 
Marquis  of  Lothian;  Lady  Gertrude,  Countess  of 
Pembroke ;  and  Lady  Adelaide,  Countess  Brownlow. 
On  my  going  to  Ireland,  he  gave  me  an  introduction 
to  Lord  George  Beresford,  Archbishop  of  Armagh, 
who  died  just  before  I  was  able  to  deliver  it. 

The  next  son  was  John  Chetwynd  Talbot,  a  very 
able  lawyer,  and  a  strong  and  firm  Churchman. 
Living  in  Great  George  Street,  Westminster,  he 
seldom  failed  to  attend  the  daily  matins  at  West- 
minster Abbey,  and  he  co-operated  with  Mr.  Gladstone 
in  the  first  phase  of  the  latter's  politics,  while  he 
was  still  member  for  Oxford.  He  looked  very 
strong,  but  the  strain  of  his  incessant  work  broke 
him  down.  On  one  occasion,  when  there  was  a 
question  whether  some  case  should  be  continued  or 
adjourned,  he  drew  a  sketch  of  a  coffin,  on  which  he 
wrote  his  own  name,  and  handed  it  to  the  other 
counsel,  telling  him  that  that  would  be  the  result  of 
continuing.  His  early  death  was  a  great  loss  to  the 
moderate  High  Church  party.  He  was  the  father  of 
the  present  member  for  Oxford  and  of  the  Bishop  of 
Rochester.  He  was  guardian  to  his  nephew,  Lord 
Lothian,  and  his  brothers  and  sister,  and  performed 
all  the  duties  of  the  office  with  the  greatest  care  and 
conscientiousness. 

Another  son  of  whom  I  saw  a  great  deal  at  a  later 
date  was  Gilbert  Talbot.  When  I  first  knew  him  he 
was  a  strong  Anglican,  but  his  mind  was  upset  by  the 
Gorham  case  and  Manning's  representations  of  the 
meaning  of  that  case,  and  he  joined  the  Church 
of  Rome,  and,  having  been  ordained,  became  a 
Monsignore. 

Lady  Lothian,  the  mother  of  my  pupil,  was  one  of 
the  best  women  that  I  have  known.  But  her  husband 
was  dead,  and,  like  some  other  women  (and  men),  she 
was  carried  away  by  the  Newman  stream,  which  bore 


i847]  MARQUIS  OF  LOTHIAN  39 

her  to  Rome.  After  a  time  she  took  with  her  her  two 
daughters  and  her  three  youngest  boys.  Let  that  be 
enough  to  say  of  a  most  sorrowful,  most  lamentable 
event. 

My  pupil  Lord  Lothian  was  a  thorough  Scotchman, 
of  a  cool,  calm  judgment,  which  was  never  led  astray 
by  enthusiasm,  and  guided  rather  by  reason  than  by 
the  affections.  And  it  was  a  happy  thing  that  he  was 
so.  On  leaving  Ingestre,  I  took  him  and  his  brother 
to  Scotland  for  a  short  trip,  and  in  1849  I  went  abroad 
with  him  for  a  year's  travelling  in  France,  Italy,  Sicily, 
Malta,  Corfu,  Greece,  Constantinople,  Vienna,  Salz- 
burg, Venice,  Milan,  Switzerland,  and  the  Rhine 
country.  In  October,  1850,  he  went  into  residence  at 
Christ  Church,  where  I  still  continued  his  private  tutor. 
In  the  October  term,  1853,  he  got  a  first  class  in 
Classics,  and  in  the  April  term,  1854,  he  got  a  first  class 
in  the  School  of  Law  and  Modern  History  which  then 
existed,  and  on  January  30  he  put  on  his  B.A.  gown. 
The  following  year  he  went  to  India  for  a  year,  his 
brother  Schomberg,  Lord  Robert  Cecil,  and  myself 
seeing  him  off  from  Southampton  on  September  20. 
Up  to  this  time  his  health  had  been  very  good — so 
good  as  perhaps  to  have  tempted  him  to  be  careless 
of  the  climate  of  India.  He  came  home  in  apparent 
good  health,  and  married  his  cousin,  Lady  Constance 
Talbot,  but  soon  signs  of  illness  appeared.  One  of 
his  legs  would  drag  at  the  end  of  a  walk,  and  then  his 
hand  began  to  shake,  and  at  length  a  creeping  palsy 
so  affected  him  that  he  was  unable  to  move  except  in 
a  chair.  From  this  affection  he  never  recovered,  and 
he  died  in  the  year  1870  at  the  age  of  thirty-six.  Had 
he  lived,  he  would  have  been,  undoubtedly,  a  leading 
English  statesman.  He  had  a  remarkable  knowledge 
of  modern  history,  and  seemed  made  for  a  Secretary 
of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs.  Before  he  went  to  India 
Lord  Aberdeen  had  asked  him  to  move  the  Address 


40  NEWBATTLE  ABBEY  [1847 

in  the  House  of  Lords,  but  he  cautiously  abstained 
from  committing  himself  to  any  party  until  he  had 
had  time  to  look  round.  I  went  to  Scotland  to 
officiate  at  his  funeral  at  Jedburgh  Abbey,  and  his 
widow  erected  a  very  beautiful  monument  to  him 
(by  G.  F.  Watts)  in  Blickling  Church. 

Having  travelled  to  Newbattle  Abbey,  about  a  mile 
from  Dalkeith  and  eight  miles  from  Edinburgh,  I  there 
found  my  second  pupil,  Lord  Schomberg  Kerr.  He 
was  at  this  time  a  very  engaging  boy,  with  open  face 
and  affectionate  manners,  which  he  retained  more  or 
less  throughout  his  life.  It  was  said  that  each  person 
that  he  spoke  to  went  away  with  the  impression  that 
he  liked  him  better  than  anyone  else ;  and  yet  there 
was  not  a  shade  of  insincerity  about  him.  He  had 
just  been  withdrawn  from  Eton,  and  sent  to  Trinity 
College,  Glenalmond,  a  school  which  Mr.  Gladstone's 
energy  had  been  instrumental  in  establishing  in  Scot- 
land. It  was  at  the  present  time  in  course  of  building, 
and  Charles  Wordsworth  had  given  up  the  second 
mastership  of  Winchester  to  carry  out  a  great  experi- 
ment as  its  Warden.  At  present  there  were  but 
fourteen  boys ;  but  it  was  to  grow,  as  it  did  grow. 
The  Sub-Warden  was  H.  E.  Moberly,  of  New  College, 
a  worthy  fellow-workman  with  Charles  Wordsworth. 
From  Glenalmond  Schomberg  Kerr  proceeded  to  New 
College,  Oxford.  But  while  he  was  in  residence  he 
was  seized  with  an  attack  on  his  chest,  which  made 
his  physician  send  him  to  Torquay,  and  prevented 
his  finishing  his  Oxford  career.  In  1855  he  went  as 
an  Attache  to  Teheran,  and  on  his  return  married 
the  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch.  On  his 
brother's  death  in  1870  he  succeeded  as  the  ninth 
Marquis  of  Lothian.  He  had  two  sons.  The  eldest, 
a  bright  young  lad,  popular  with  all  who  knew 
him,  died  before  his  father,  being  accidentally  shot 
by  a  companion  as  he  was  riding  in  Australia. 


i84;]    BISHOP  CHARLES  WORDSWORTH      41 

The  younger  succeeded  to  the  title  on  his  father's 
death. 

During  our  tour  in  Scotland  in  1847  we  went  to  see 
Trinity  College,  Glenalmond.  Its  Warden,  Charles 
Wordsworth,  was  a  man  of  a  very  high  nature.  A 
beautiful  scholar,*  a  learned  divine,  with  a  halo  round 
his  name  derived  from  his  uncle  the  poet,  he  might 
have  aspired  to  any  office  in  the  English  Church.  But 
he  was  absolutely  unselfish  and  regardless  of  personal 
interests.  The  thought  of  building  up  the  Scottish 
Church  was  placed  before  him,  and  his  reputation  as 
a  scholar  pointed  him  out  as  the  man  to  commence 
and  make  successful  the  experiment  of  the  school  and 
college  of  Glenalmond,  in  which  Mr.  Gladstone  and 
other  Scottish  Churchmen  were  deeply  interested. 
He  threw  up  his  prospects  in  the  South  and  accepted 
the  post.  From  the  wardenship  of  Glenalmond  he 
passed  to  the  bishopric  of  St.  Andrews,  an  office  not 
such  as  to  satisfy  an  ambitious  man,  in  which  he  gave 
more  than  he  received.  There  he  set  himself  the  task 
of  strengthening  the  Church  of  his  adoption,  and  of 
persuading  his  Presbyterian  fellow-countrymen  to 
accept  Episcopacy.  Like  his  brother,  the  Bishop  of 
Lincoln,  he  was  an  Anglican  of  the  purest  type  —  a  pro- 
nounced opponent  alike  of  Romanism  and  Puritanism, 
and  entirely  free  from  the  mysticism  and  the  medi- 
aevalism  which  of  late  years  have  invaded  the  Anglican 
Church  and  confounded  the  Anglican  doctrine  on  the 
question  of  the  Eucharist. 

*  What  could  be  more  exquisite  than  the  following  description  of  a 
tourist  in  Switzerland,  scribbled  by  him  in  the  travellers'  book  at  the 
Grimsel  ? 

«r$i€iv,  TTtvav,  7raA.iv 


KOVTOV  Tpirr'rj'xyv  \eparlv  oia/cocrT/oo</>ai/, 
FaAAiaTi  fidfciv,  rovvofji'  kv  (3i/3\ia  ypdfaiv, 
,  ws  Ttt  Tr\€L(TTa,  f3\a(r<f>rffj.€iv  Aia 


42  GLENALMOND  [1847 

An  invaluable  work  that  Charles  Wordsworth  did 
was  to  resist  the  attempt  made  by  Mr.  Cheyne  and 
Bishop  Forbes  to  introduce  into  the  Scottish  Church 
the  doctrine  of  the  Objective  Presence  of  Christ  in  the 
elements,  and,  in  resisting  that  attempt,  to  show  that 
that  tenet  was  altogether  alien  to  the  Anglican 
Communion.  The  following  letter  which  I  received 
eighteen  years  ago,  after  I  had  published  Four  Letters 
on  the  Neo-Eucharistical  System,  shows  how  warmly 
the  Bishop  felt  on  the  subject  after  the  lapse  of  some 
thirty  years : 

*  BISHOPSHALL,  ST.  ANDREWS, 
'  March  29,  1887. 

*  MY  DEAR  CANON  MEYRICK, 

*  I  have  been  reading  with  much  interest  your 
Four  Letters.  It  is  now  very  nearly  thirty  years  ago 
that  I  had  to  go  over  the  same  ground — on  occasion 
of  our  Eucharist  controversy  with  Mr.  Cheyne  and 
Bishop  Forbes :  to  encounter  the  same  painful  ex- 
periences from  unscrupulous  partisans;  and  with  the 
result  of  maintaining  precisely  the  same  conclusions 
as  those  which  you  have  reached.  In  some  respects, 
indeed,  my  experiences  were  still  more  painful ;  for  I 
had  to  cope  directly  with  Pusey  (whom  I  scarcely 
knew  personally)  and  with  Keble,  with  whom  I  had 
been  upon  very  friendly  and  intimate  terms  while  at 
Winchester.  Nevertheless,  when  all  was  over,  Keble 
sent  me  as  a  present  what  I  think  was  his  last  publica- 
tion— The  Life  of  Bishop  Wilson  ;  and  in  that  work- 
on  the  last  page  (972)  of  vol.  ii. — curiously  enough, 
you  may  see  Bishop  Wilson's  repudiation  of  Keble's 
and  Pusey's  own  doctrine  of  the  Objective  Presence ! 
At  that  time,  apparently,  in  the  Church  of  England 
"  men  slept "  who  ought  to  have  been  champions  of 
the  orthodox  doctrine,  and  consequently  you  will  now 
have  very  hard  work  to  root  up  the  tares  which  have 
since  grown  and  spread  so  rankly  and  luxuriantly.  I 


i847l    BISHOP  CHARLES  WORDSWORTH      43 

received  scarcely  any  support  or  encouragement  from 
any  quarter,  except  from  my  dear  brother  (Bishop 
Christopher  Wordsworth),  who  felt  keenly  on  the 
matter  and  was  most  cordial,  as  you  may  see  from 
p.  7  et  seq.  of  Letters  to  the  Clergy,  which  I  am  sending 
you. 

*  I  don't  know  whether  you  have  had  occasion  to 
take  as  complete  a  survey  as  I  did  (for  I  think  I  went 
over  the  entire  field)  of  the  Eucharistic  teaching  of 
Anglican  divines  ;  so  I  am  also  sending  you  a  copy  of 
my  "  Notes  to  assist,  etc.,"  which  please  to  return  at 
your  leisure,  for  I  have  no  other  copy  left  (except  one 
largely  scored  and  added  to),  as  you  may  like  to  trace 
the  course  of  my  investigations  and  compare  it  with 
your  own.  You  will  find  the  same  exposure  of  mis- 
quotation and  misapplication  of  Bishop  Cosin's 
"  Notes,"  of  Maldonatus,  Cassander,  etc.,  and  certain 
it  is  that  my  exhaustive  inquiry  led  me  to  your  con- 
clusion, viz.,  that  the  new  doctrine  had  no  standing 
whatever  in  the  Church  of  England  till  the  appearance 
of  the  work  of  Archdeacon  Wilberforce,  then  on  the 
highroad  to  the  Church  of  Rome :  the  nearest  ap- 
proaches to  it  are  to  be  found  in  the  suspicious  period 
of  the  concluding  years  of  the  reign  of  Charles  II., 
and  during  the  short  reign  of  his  infatuated  brother. 

'Allow  me  to  offer  you  my  sincere  thanks.    You 
have  done  a  great  and  valuable  service — at,  I  am  sure, 
no  little  cost  to  your  own  personal  feelings — and  never 
was  such  a  service  more  needed. 
4 1  am, 

'  Yours  sincerely, 

'  CHARLES  WORDSWORTH, 

'  Bishop  of  St.  Andrews. 

'  I  am  very  glad  indeed  to  know  that  more  than  half 
the  Bishops  have  recognised  the  value  of  the  stand 
you  have  been  making  and  the  service  you  have  done 


44  GLENALMOND  [1847 

— not  a  moment  too  soon  !  I  shall  probably  be  gone, 
or  at  least  quite  enfeebled,  before  Liddon's  Life  of 
Pusey  appears ;  but  I  earnestly  hope  }rou  will  be  alive 
and  well  and  strong  (if  necessary)  to  carry  on  your 
testimony/ 

Bishop  Charles  Wordsworth  was  as  strongly  op- 
posed to  the  theory  of  a  heavenly  altar,  to  which  the 
bread  and  wine  are  supposed  to  be  transferred  from 
earthly  altars,  and  there  converted  into  the  glorified 
body  and  blood  of  Christ,  and  retransferred  to  earth, 
having  become  now  a  proper  subject  of  worship 
(which  is  Bishop  Gore's  representation  in  his  Body  of 
Christ),  and,  indeed,  to  the  theory  of  the  existence  of 
a  continued  sacrifice  in  heaven,  as  he  was  to  the 
supposition  that  Christ's  Objective  Presence  in  the 
elements  was  brought  about  by  consecration. 

'  The  doctrine  of  the  Saviour  at  the  right  hand  of 
God,  plainly  taught  in  no  less  than  a  dozen  passages 
of  the  New  Testament,  has  been  swallowed  up  by  the 
notion  of  a  continuous  sacrifice  carried  on  in  heaven  ; 
as  though  the  great  Sacrifice  on  the  Cross  had  been 
grudgingly  accepted  or  can  be  held  to  be  less  than 
perfect.  The  notion  has  arisen  out  of  the  prestige 
which  it  gives  to  the  priesthood  of  the  clergy ;  but  it 
has  no  foundation  in  the  Word  of  God,  and  it  ob- 
literates the  doctrine,  which  has  abundant  foundation 
in  that  Word. 

'  I  confess  I  do  not  like  the  notion  (now  so  popular) 
of  our  Lord's  pleading  His  Sacrifice.  It  seems  to 
clash  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Passion.  The  one 
Sacrifice  on  the  Cross  was  full,  perfect,  and  sufficient : 
the  pleading  of  it  seems  to  suggest  either  that  the 
Sacrifice  was  insufficient  or  grudgingly  accepted. 
That  we  on  earth  should  plead  it  in  prayers  and 
Eucharist  is  right  and  natural.  But  the  teaching  that 
Christ  in  some  way  repeats  or  continues  and  pleads 


i847l  A.  H.  CLOUGH  45 

His  own  Sacrifice  upon  the  heavenly  altar  has  no 
foundation  in  Holy  Scripture.'* 

On  the  subject  of  reunion  with  Presbyterians,  after 
forty  years'  discussion  with  the  heads  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  he  was  willing  to  accept  the  compromise 
that  the  existing  generation  of  Presbyterian  clergy 
should  be  left  free  to  receive  Episcopal  ordination  or 
not  at  their  own  option,  provided  that  a  threefold 
ministry  was  eventually  accepted. 

The  last  act  of  the  Bishop  was  a  grudging  acceptance 
of  Archbishop  Benson's  judgment  in  the  Lincoln  case 
— grudging  because  he  thought  it  moved  the  centre  of 
the  Anglican  position  nearer  to  Rome — and  a  warning 
addressed  to  the  Anglican  Church  against  the  theories 
of  Old  Testament  criticism  introduced  from  Germany 
by  Canon  Driver.  He  died  in  1893. 

While  still  in  Scotland  with  my  two  pupils  I  fell  in 
with  A.  H.  Clough,  Fellow  of  Oriel,  who  was  con- 
ducting a  reading-party,  in  which,  as  he  said,  he  aimed 
at  *  plain  living  and  high  thinking.'  Unable  to  sym- 
pathize with  the  theological  sentiments  at  the  time 
common  in  Oxford,  he  slid  off  more  and  more  into 
agnosticism.  It  is  sometimes  said  that  agnosticism 
was  originated  after  this  date  by  Huxley,  but  it  existed, 
name  and  thing,  in  the  time  of  St.  Paul,  who  says : 
*  For  some  have  agnosticism  of  God  (ayvayaiav  ®eov) ; 
I  say  this  to  your  shame'  (i  Cor.  xv.  34) ;  and  it  must 
always  exist.  Clough  was  more  a  poet  than  a  theo- 
logian. Some  of  his  verses  are  more  than  pretty, 
and  full  of  sad  thought.  We  were  joined  for  a  time 
in  the  Highlands  by  H.  M.  Birch,  Lord  Lothian's  tutor 
at  Eton.  Having  been  tutor  to  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
and  his  initials  being  H.  M.,  he  was  known  as  Her 
Majesty's  Birch. 

After  a  short  stay  at  Newbattle  we  went  to  Lord 
Lothian's  other  Scottish  home,  Monteviot,  in  Rox- 
*  Episcopate  of  Charles  Wordsworth,  p.  137. 


46  MONTEVIOT  [1847 

burghshire.    At  that  time  Monteviot  was  a  singular 
house.      From  the  front-door,  which  was  of  a  very 
simple  character,  a  long  passage  led  straight  to  the 
drawing-room ;    this   passage  was   paved   with   flag- 
stones, and  on  each  side  ran  a  strip  of  gravel ;   the 
roof  and  sides  of  the  passage  were  made  of  plain  deal 
planks.     It  is  reported  that  the  late  Queen  said  that 
she  must  go  to  Monteviot  to  see  a  house  with  a  gravel 
path  inside  it.     A  commencement  of  a  new  and  larger 
mansion   had   been   made,  which,   I   believe,  is  now 
occupied.    But  the  old  house  was  very  comfortable  and 
very  pleasant.     It  was  beautifully  situated  above  the 
Teviot,  and   below  a  hill  that  rose  behind  it.     The 
most  striking  personality  at  Monteviot  was  Robert 
Kerse,  the  keeper.     He  would  have  died  for  any  of 
the  family,  and  he  never  failed  in  courtesy ;  but  he 
had  withal  an  independence  of  bearing  not  usual  in 
the   South.     He  regarded   himself  as   having  rights 
in  respect  to  teaching  his  young   lord   fishing  and 
shooting,  which  he  firmly  stood  up  for.     A  neighbour, 
Mr.  Richardson,  a  friend  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  used 
occasionally  to  pay  a  visit,  and,  as   he   did  not  fish 
or  shoot,  Kerse  looked  upon  him  with  displeasure. 
1  Ah  !'  he  would  say,  '  if  the  mon  Richardson  is  coming, 
there'll  be  no  fishing  the  day.'    He  was  inclined  to 
look  upon  me  at  first  as  an  enemy ;  but  when  he  found 
that  I  took  part  in  the  fishing,  he  came  round,  and 
at  last  we  were  such  friends   that   he  came   to   the 
Episcopal  chapel    to    hear  me  preach   and    officiate. 
He  was  surprised  at  all  'the  manoeuvres'  of  sitting, 
standing,  and  kneeling,  that  he  saw. 

Later  in  the  year  I  made  acquaintance  with  my 
younger  pupils :  Ralph,  now  General  Lord  Ralph 
Kerr;  Walter,  now  Admiral  Lord  Walter  Kerr;  and 
John,  who  was  sent  to  school  at  Oscott,  and  died 
there. 

In   the   same   year  A.   P.   Forbes   was   appointed 


i847]  MACKONOCHIE  47 

Bishop  ^of  Brechin.  I  had  seen  something  of  him  in 
Oxford,  and  after  his  consecration  saw  him  frequently 
in  Scotland.  He  was  a  devout  man,  but  not  a  good 
Bishop  for  the  Scottish  Church.  He  almost  caused 
a  schism  in  it  by  maintaining  semi-Roman  doctrine 
on  the  Eucharist,  which  Bishop  Charles  Wordsworth 
had  to  controvert,  and  he  wrote  an  unsatisfactory 
book  on  the  Thirty-nine  Articles. 

The  incumbent  of  St.  Mary's,  Dalkeith — a  little  gem 
of  a  chapel  built  by  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch — was  the 
Rev.  J.  Robertson.  He,  too,  was  a  devout  man,  but 
he  was  weak  and  not  well  read.  After  a  while 
he  resigned  his  incumbency  and  became  a  Roman 
Catholic.  Meantime  he  did  much  mischief  to  members 
of  his  congregation. 

My  brother  being  very  ill,  and  unable  to  do  his 
work  as  Vicar  of  Westbury  in  Wiltshire,  I  engaged 
Alexander  Heriot  Mackonochie  as  his  curate  as  soon 
as  the  latter  had  been  ordained.  He  was  very  earnest 
and  self-devoted,  but  singularly  stiff  and  narrow.  It 
was  said  of  him  that  he  walked  about  the  parish 
saying  to  himself,  *  I  am  a  priest ';  and  that  if  he  had 
known  that  the  fate  of  Christendom  hung  on  his 
saying  his  prayers  facing  west,  while  he  thought  it 
1  catholic '  to  face  east,  he  would  have  continued 
facing  east  without  hesitation.  His  brother  curate 
was  the  Rev.  Thomas  Bowles,  and  on  my  brother's 
resignation  they  both  went  to  Wantage  as  curates 
under  the  Rev.  W.  Butler,  afterwards  Dean  of  Lincoln. 
When  Mr.  Hubbard  was  looking  for  the  first  incum- 
bent of  his  new  church,  St.  Alban's,  Holborn,  he  asked 
me  if  I  could  recommend  a  suitable  clergyman.  I 
told  him  that  I  thought  the  Rev.  T.  Bowles,  then 
curate  at  Wantage,  was  the  right  man.  Mr.  Hubbard 
wrote  to  Mr.  Butler,  saying  that  he  understood  that 
he  had  a  curate  named  the  Rev.  T.  Barnes  (he  had 
forgotten  the  exact  name)  who  would  be  suitable  for 


48  HURSLEY  [1848 

the  post.  Mr.  Butler  wrote  back  that  he  had  no 
curate  named  Barnes,  but  that  he  strongly  recom- 
mended his  curate  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Mackonochie. 
The  consequence  was,  Mr.  Hubbard  entered  into 
communication  with  Mr.  Mackonochie,  and  finally 
appointed  him.  The  way  in  which  Mr.  Mackonochie 
conducted  the  parish,  which  in  many  ways  was  not 
in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  founder,  is 
well  known,  as  well  as  his  sad  death  in  Scotland. 
Mr.  Bowles  became  afterwards  the  Rector  of  Hendred, 
in  the  Diocese  of  Oxford,  where  he  was  worried  by 
having  a  Roman  Catholic  squire,  and  he  spent 
his  last  years  at  Abingdon,  after  he  had  become 
too  infirm  to  hold  his  parish  with  advantage  to  the 
people. 

About  this  time,  while  on  a  visit  to  the  Rev. 
R.  F.  Wilson  at  Ampfield,  I  made  acquaintance  with 
the  Rev.  John  Keble  at  Hursley,  with  whom  I  had 
frequent  communications  afterwards.  He  showed  me 
over  his  church  with  some  pride,  as  it  had  lately  been 
restored.  Most  of  it  was  new,  but  'here/  he  said,  'we 
have  kept  a  part  of  the  old  church  to  hitch  us  on  to 
earlier  times.'  Keble  belonged  to  the  old  historical 
High  Church  section  of  the  Church,  and  he  looked 
with  dread  on  the  threatening  aspect  of  the  State, 
which  had  cut  down  the  number  of  the  Irish  bishoprics, 
and  was  turning  its  attention  to  the  English  Church, 
which  Lord  Grey  warned  the  Bishops  '  they  must  set 
in  order.'  During  the  eighteenth  century  Churchmen 
had  grown  to  put  their  trust  in  their  State  connection, 
and  to  confide  rather  in  their  rights  as  an  establish- 
ment than  as  a  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Keble 
saw  the  danger,  and  in  a  sermon  preached  before  the 
University  of  Oxford  in  1833,  entitled  'National  Apos- 
tasy,' he  called  on  Churchmen  to  fall  back  on  their 
inherent  powers  as  their  means  of  defence,  and  no 
longer  to  rest  secure  in  the  arms  of  a  protector  that 


1833-58]  JOHN  KEBLE  49 

had  become  unfriendly.  In  the  critical  circumstances 
of  the  day  his  call  met  with  an  extraordinarily  vigorous 
response.  Men  gathered  together,  resolved  to  recall 
and  stand  by  the  principles  and  practices  of  the  seven- 
teenth-century divines,  which  were  too  much  overlaid 
and  forgotten.  The  Church  was  a  Church,  not  merely 
an  Establishment ;  it  could  stand  on  its  own  feet  if 
the  State  turned  against  it,  and  it  could  prove  from  its 
own  principles  that  it  had  a  right  to  be  the  Church  of 
the  nation,  whether  a  Parliamentary  majority  favoured 
it  or  not ;  and  there  was  yet  time  to  save  a  national 
apostasy.  Hugh  James  Rose  had  been  preaching  the 
same  doctrine  at  Cambridge,  and  through  these  two 
men  a  new  spirit  was  infused  into  the  English  Church. 
Keble's  first  follower  was  Isaac  Williams,  a  poet  and  a 
devotional  writer,  who  had  been  his  pupil  in  classics 
and  philosophy,  and  had  learned  to  love  the  humility, 
simplicity  and  cheerfulness  which  he  found  united 
with  masterly  ability,  depth,  and  power.  Not  at  first, 
but  before  long,  J.  H.  Newman  joined  the  growing 
party,  and  at  a  still  later  time  Dr.  Pusey.  These 
adhesions,  especially  Newman's,  changed  its  character 
to  a  considerable  extent.  Newman  grasped  the  direc- 
tion of  the  movement,  and  turned  it  in  the  way  in 
which  he,  rather  than  Keble,  would  have  it  go.  Keble, 
not  on  the  spot  at  Oxford,  guileless  as  a  child,  and 
having  a  warm  affection  for  his  colleagues  and  an 
admiration  of  their  ability,  allowed  himself  to  be 
carried  off  his  legs  (it  is  his  own  expression)  by  them 
for  a  time.  Looking  back  in  1858,  he  said  :  *  I  look  now 
upon  my  time  with  Newman  and  Pusey  as  a  sort  of 
parenthesis  in  my  life,  and  I  have  now  returned  again 
to  my  old  views,  such  as  I  had  before.  I  see  that  I 
was  fairly  carried  off  my  legs  by  the  sanguine  views 
they  held  and  the  effects  that  were  showing  them- 
selves in  all  quarters.'  '  Now  that  I  have  thrown  off 
Newman's  yoke,'  he  said  to  Isaac  Williams,  'these 


or 


50  HURSLEY  [1848 

things  appear  to  me  quite  different'  (Williams'  Auto- 
biography, p.  118).  Had  the  Tractarian  Movement 
been  in  the  hands  of  Keble,  it  would  have  had  a  very 
different  result. 

Mr.  Keble  continued  at  Hursley  till  his  death,  setting 
a  conspicuous  example — the  English  Church  has  shown 
others — of  a  wise,  learned,  and  able  man  perfectly  con- 
tent to  do  the  work  which  God  had  given  him  to  do, 
however  simple  and  obscure. 


CHAPTER  III 

A  year  abroad — Pius  IX.— -Greece— Constantinople. 

WHEN  I  went  abroad  with  Lord  Lothian  in  1849,  we 
crossed  to  Dieppe,  and  went  on  to  Rouen.    Among 
other   places  in   Rouen,  we  visited   the   theological 
seminary,   and  were   received    by  the    Professor   of 
Divinity,  who  courteously  showed  us  over  the  build- 
ing,  and   then   sat   down   for  a  discussion  with   his 
unusual  guests.     His  name  was  the  Abbe  Omer.     He 
asked  us  if  we  came  from  Oxford,  and  on  my  replying 
in   the  affirmative,   he   said:   'Ah!   the   doctrines    of 
Oxford  are  not  far  from  those  of  the  Catholic  Church  ; 
you  have  all  except  one  little  point'  (here  he  covered 
the  whole  of  his  fingers  except  just  the  tip)  *  and  that  is 
the  Papal  Supremacy.'    He  argued  (i)  that  the  Pope 
held  the  supremacy  from  the  Apostolic  days,  but  that 
he  did  not  exert  it  in  the  early  ages ;  (2)  that  there 
must  be  an  authority,  and  that  (Ecumenical  Councils 
could  not  now  be  called ;  therefore  it  must  be  some- 
where else  ;  therefore  it  must  be  in  the  Pope ;  (3)  that 
the  promise  '  I  am  with  you '  implied  a  perfect  state  of 
the  Church,  which  therefore  existed  at  present.     So 
far  as  my  French,  helped  out  with  Latin,  allowed  me, 
I  replied  (i)  that  his  statement  respecting  the  Pope's 
potential  supremacy  was  an  assumption,  disproved  by 
the  voice  of  history  and  antiquity ;  (2)  that  there  was 
great  danger  and  presumption  in  using  a  priori  argu- 
ment and  saying  what  must  or  must  not  be,  for  this 

5i  4-2 


52  ROUEN  [1849 

really  means  that  we  think,  with  our  finite  intelligence, 
that  the  Infinite  Wisdom  ought  to,  and  therefore  must, 
work  in  this  way  or  that,  which  is  prying  into  God's 
counsels;  also  that  the  authority  of  (Ecumenical 
Councils  was  not  abolished,  though  at  present  sus- 
pended, owing  to  the  arbitrary  conduct  of  the  Pope  in 
having  severed  himself,  and  that  part  of  the  Church 
which  adhered  to  him,  first  from  the  Eastern  Church, 
and  then  from  us  and  other  Western  and  Northern 
Churches ;  also  that  the  erection  of  the  Popedom  into 
a  monarchy  was  a  poor  device  of  man's  wisdom  to 
effect  an  end  which  God  could  fulfil  in  His  own  way, 
and  which  was  effected  until  that  human  device  was 
allowed  to  supersede  the  Divine  plan ;  also  that  the 
Fathers  made  their  appeal,  not  to  any  Bishop,  but  to 
the  written  Word  of  God,  interpreted,  when  neces- 
sary, by  the  historical  testimony  of  the  past,  shown 
in  formal  decisions  of  the  Church;  (3)  that  the  promise 
1 1  am  with  you '  was  fulfilled  by  our  very  existence, 
for  without  that  presence  Christianity  must  have 
perished  with  its  first  preachers,  and  that  the  promise 
did  not  guarantee  that  the  sins  of  men  should  not  mar 
the  good  purposes  of  God  in  the  later,  as  they  did  in 
the  earlier  or  Jewish,  dispensation :  for  it  was  the 
privilege  of  the  Church  triumphant  alone  that  the 
spirits  of  its  members  should  go  along  with,  and  work 
in  accordance  with,  the  perfect  will  of  God. 

Passing  to  other  subjects,  the  Abbe  said  that  the 
French  Church  had  suffered  little  by  the  Revolution 
of  1848.  'You  had  no  revolution  like  the  rest  of 
Europe,'  he  continued.  'Are  you  not  in  fear  of  an 
outbreak  in  England  ?'  '  No,  thank  God !'  I  said. 
'  Nor  in  Ireland  ?'  'Agitators  have  done  harm  there,' 
I  answered.  '  Ah,  Smith  O'Brien,'  whose  name  was 
in  the  papers  at  the  time.  'Yes,  and  before  him 
O'Connell.1  '  O'Connell !'  he  cried  in  a  tone  as  if  I 
had  said  '  St.  Paul ' ;  '  he  won  the  emancipation  of  the 


i8so]  POPE  PIUS  IX.  53 

Catholics  !'  Abroad  he  is  generally  looked  upon  as 
a  saint,  and  no  wonder,  if  they  believe  Padre  Ventura's 
sermon  about  him  !  As  I  rose  up  to  go,  I  said  smilingly, 
'  If  you  will  give  up  your  Romanism,  we  can  then 
give  up  our  Protestantism,  and,  see,  we  shall  all  be 
Catholics !'  *  A  beautiful  hope  !'  he  said.  We  parted 
with  cordial  good  wishes. 

At  St.  Cloud  we  saw  Louis  Napoleon.  The  year 
before  he  had  been  acting  as  a  special  constable  in 
London,  together  with  other  householders,  to  put 
down  a  threatened  Chartist  riot,  and  was  now  Presi- 
dent of  the  French  Republic.  While  an  exile  in 
England,  he  made  an  offer  of  marriage  to  a  young 
lady  with  whom  I  was  acquainted.  In  refusing  him 
she  did  not  know  that  she  was  declining  to  be  an 
Empress. 

In  Italy  we  had  an  interview  with  Pope  Pius  IX. 
At  the  beginning  of  his  pontificate,  Pius  IX.,  finding 
the  whole  of  Italy  in  effervescence,  and  resolved  to 
form  itself  into  one  body  politic  instead  of  being  di- 
vided into  duchies,  grand-duchies,  Papal  Dominions, 
and  the  Kingdom  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  conceived  a 
great  idea.  He  would  lead,  not  thwart,  the  popular 
impulse  and  will,  and  so  constitute  the  Papacy  the 
federal  head  of  a  United  Italy,  accepted  as  such,  as  he 
fondly  hoped,  by  a  general  acclamation.  Such  a  solu- 
tion of  the  Italian  question  would  gratify  him  for 
more  reasons  than  one.  He  was  an  Italian,  and,  in 
spite  of  being  an  ecclesiastic,  he  could  not  help  having 
some  sympathy  with  the  oppressed  and  divided  Italian 
people.  He  would  vindicate  his  position  as  a  states- 
man, and  deliver  himself  from  the  yoke  of  the  Jesuits, 
who  had  long  been  governing  at  the  Vatican.  And, 
above  all,  he  would  give  a  new  lease  of  power  and 
prestige  to  the  Pope  as  President  of  an  Italian  con- 
federation as  well  as  ruler  in  his  own  dominions. 
The  Jesuits  smiled  grimly,  and  stood  aside  for  him 


54  ROME  [1850 

to  try  his  experiment.  It  failed  utterly.  He  could 
not  control  the  forces  that  were  set  in  motion  with 
his  encouragement.  The  Reds  were  not  going  to 
be  satisfied  with  such  an  amount  of  liberty  as  the  Pope 
regarded  as  already  excessive,  and  the  Italian  people 
turned  by  a  sure  instinct  to  the  House  of  Piedmont, 
round  which  they  should  gather  in  order  to  form 
themselves  into  a  nation.  He  met  with  little  sym- 
pathy. The  Reds  looked  upon  him  as  a  traitor  to 
Italy  because  he  would  not  go  further  with  them ; 
the  Blacks  (Neri)  said  in  effect,  '  We  told  you  so ;  see 
what  you  have  done  for  yourself  and  for  the  Church  !' 
He  struggled  on  until  the  Reds  assassinated  his  chief 
minister,  Rossi.  Then  he  fled  from  his  capital  in 
disguise,  leaving  Rome  in  the  hands  of  the  revolu- 
tionists. A  triumvirate  with  Aurelio  Saffi  at  its  head, 
and  with  Garibaldi  as  its  right  hand,  was  proclaimed. 
Then  came  the  French  intervention.  We  drove  to  the 
Porta  di  San  Pancrazio,  and  saw  the  ruined  walls  and 
the  marks  of  shells  thrown  by  Marshal  Oudinot's 
army,  still  visible  early  in  1850.  Shortly  before  the 
entrance  of  the  French,  a  fine  scene  was  enacted  in 
the  Forum,  worthy  of  the  spot  and  of  its  history. 
Garibaldi  summoned  the  people  of  Rome  to  an 
assembly.  Sitting  on  his  horse,  he  told  them  that 
the  city  was  no  longer  defensible,  and  then,  lifting  up 
his  voice,  he  cried,  *  Let  all  that  love  Italy  follow  me.' 
With  that  he  moved  his  horse  towards  one  of  the 
gates  not  yet  beset  by  the  enemy,  and,  followed  by  a 
body  of  devoted  adherents,  made  his  way  to  the  North 
of  Italy,  abiding  his  time  and  Cavour's.  The  Pope 
did  not  dare  at  once  to  return.  The  city  was  sub- 
jected to  a  triumvirate  of  Cardinals,  headed  by  Anton- 
elli,  and  their  authority  was  maintained  by  French 
bayonets.  The  real  ruler  of  Rome  was  General 
Baraguay  d'Hilliers.  He  was  a  courteous  gentleman, 
and  did  what  he  could  to  mitigate  the  hatred  of  the 


i85o]  POPE  PIUS  IX.  55 

Romans  towards  the  French  soldiers.  We  attended 
one  of  his  receptions  and  one  of  his  balls.  At  the  latter, 
when  his  guests  began  to  go  away  about  twelve 
o'clock,  in  all  good-humour  he  posted  a  sentinel  at 
the  door,  who  stolidly  opposed  his  bayonet  to  those 
who  would  go  out,  with  the  words,  '  On  ne  passe  pas.' 
In  this  manner  the  ball  was  kept  up  till  four  o'clock. 
Antonelli  and  the  other  two  Cardinals  treated  every 
one  suspected  of  Liberalism — and  that  was  the  whole 
population,  with  the  exception  of  the  small  party  of 
Neri— with  great  severity,  and  Antonelli  was  known 
to  be  leading  anything  but  an  austere  or  moral  life. 
Pope  Pius  meantime  continued  to  live  in  the  Kingdom 
of  the  Two  Sicilies  at  Portici.  It  was  here  that  we 
had  an  interview  with  him,  being  introduced  by  Prince 
Hohenlohe. 

Pope  Pius  was  sitting  in  a  small  room  at  a  little 
table,  dressed  in  his  loose  white  robe  (which  is  too 
much  like  a  flannel  dressing-grown),  occupied  as  we 
came  in  with  writing.  According  to  Prince  Hohen- 
lohe's  directions,  we  knelt  on  one  knee  at  entering, 
and  again  on  kissing  his  hand,  for  the  Pope  was  still 
a  Sovereign  at  that  time.  We  then  stood  up  and  had 
a  conversation  with  him  for  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  I  had  been  introduced  to  him  as  a  member  of 
the  University  of  Oxford,  and  he  almost  at  once  began 
to  talk  about  it.  Presently  he  said :  '  Dr.  Pusey  is  at 
Oxford.'  I  intimated  that  I  was  acquainted  with  him. 
1  He  has  done  us  a  great  deal  of  good,'  he  continued. 
1  The  good  that  he  has  done  is  that  he  has  taught 
people  to  believe  that  they  cannot  all  come  to  the 
same  truth  while  they  indulge  in  unlicensed  private 
judgment,  but  they  must  have  some  authority  to  guide 
them.  And  then,'  he  said,  '  many  will  have  recourse 
to  the  Apostolic  See.'  It  was  not  a  moment  to  enter 
into  controversy  with  the  Pope,  so  I  bowed,  without 
saying  that  there  was  authority  apart  from  that  of 


56  ROME  AND  PORTICI  [1850 

'the  Apostolic  See.1  After  this  he  said  that  he 
knew  Newman,  St.  John,  and  others  with  whom  I 
was  acquainted.  Turning  to  my  companion,  he  spoke 
about  the  Scottish  dress,  and  especially  the  cairn- 
gorms which  he  was  wearing,  with  which  the  Pope 
seemed  much  impressed.  On  a  pause,  he  said  that 
he  would  give  us  his  benediction,  for  which  we  knelt 
accordingly,  and  he  gave  us  his  blessing  with  the 
promise  of  his  prayers. 

Pio  Nono's  appearance  was  prepossessing,  from  the 
great  kindness  of  his  expression ;  but  he  was  already 
growing  fat,  and  the  lower  part  of  his  face  was  heavy. 
He  was  not  a  man  of  ability,  and  in  trying  to  take  the 
helm  into  his  own  hands  in  stormy  times  he  made  an 
utter  failure.  He  had  been  elected  as  a  Liberal  Pope 
in  opposition  to  Cardinal  Lambruschini,  whose  appoint- 
ment would  have  been  the  signal  for  a  revolution,  and 
he  thought  some  concessions  to  popular  feeling  neces- 
sary. His  Cardinals  stood  aloof  as  well  as  the  Jesuits  ; 
the  Roman  nobles  were  nonentities,  and  he  had  only 
the  populace  to  rest  upon.  As  long  as  he  let  himself 
be  carried  away  by  them,  he  was  their  idol ;  the 
moment  he  stopped,  he  was  the  object  of  their  abuse 
and  obloquy.  He  trembled  before  the  storm  and  fled. 
He  had  intended  to  take  a  Spanish  ship  for  Majorca, 
but  the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies  received  him  on  his 
knees  and  treated  him  with  the  respect  shown  to 
James  II.  by  Louis  XIV.,  begging  him  to  remain  in 
the  Neapolitan  dominions.  From  the  time  of  his 
flight,  Pius  IX.  gave  up  all  his  popular  leanings,  and 
threw  himself  back  into  the  arms  of  the  Jesuits,  who 
had  been  waiting  for  him  and  wound  their  invisible 
cords  around  him  more  closely  than  ever.  He  had 
still  a  long  pontificate  before  him,  memorable  for  the 
declaration  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  St.  Mary, 
and  the  decrees  of  the  Vatican  Council,  constituting 
him  infallible  in  matters  of  faith  and  morals,  and  the 


i8so]     THE  GENERAL  OF  THE  JESUITS         57 

Universal  Bishop  of  the  Church.  He  was  to  see  the 
entrance  of  the  Italians  into  Rome  on  its  abandon- 
ment by  the  French  in  1870,  and  he  died  on  February  7, 
1878. 

On  the  same  day  that  we  had  our  interview  with 
Pius  IX.  we  visited  the  General  of  the  Jesuits,  to 
whom  we  were  introduced  by  Padre  Costa,  a  Jesuit 
Father  attached  to  the  Gesu  in  Naples.  The  General 
was  tall  and  thin,  bent  somewhat  with  age,  but  having 
a  keen  and  vigorous  eye  and  brow  and  a  kindly 
expression.  He  remembered  the  reception  of  Thomas 
Meyrick  (p.  5)  into  the  company,  and  had  seen  him 
lately  in  Wales  while  on  a  visit  to  his  English  and 
Irish  subjects.  He  was,  he  said,  an  ottimo  giovane. 
The  General  was  now  residing  in  Naples,  to  be  near 
the  Pope  in  his  exile,  and  intended  to  stay  there  till 
the  Pope's  return  to  Rome.  The  General  of  the 
Jesuits  is  in  Italy  generally  called  the  '  Black  Pope.' 
He  rules  the  'White  Pope'  (they  are  called  'Black' 
and  '  White '  from  their  dresses),  and  through  him  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  From  Ganganelli  down- 
wards, and  before  him,  Popes  have  occasionally 
attempted  to  assert  their  independence.  Pius  IX. 
did  so,  to  his  own  confusion.  Leo  XIII.  struggled 
feebly  for  liberty  when  he  first  became  Pontiff.  But 
the  Jesuits  have  made  themselves  a  necessity  as 
supporters  of  the  Vatican  system,  and  Ganganelli's 
example  does  not  encourage  Papal  rebellion.  The 
declaration  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  and  of 
the  Papal  Infallibility  were  both  of  them  the  work 
of  the  Jesuits.  They  took  the  former  dogma  under 
their  patronage,  not  from  believing  it  to  be  a  truth, 
but  because  by  that  means  they  were  able  to  get 
the  better  of  the  Dominicans,  with  whom  they  were 
holding  a  controversy  in  the  sixteenth  century  at 
Rome.  '  Let  your  reverence  see,'  wrote  Cardinal 
Lugo  to  a  brother  Jesuit  in  Madrid,  'that  you  and 


58  ROME  [1850 

yours  take  pains  to  reawaken  the  devotion  of  the 
Conception,  which  is  very  popular  in  Spain,  in  order 
that  by  this  means  we  may  turn  off  the  attacks  of  the 
Dominicans,  who  are  pressing  us  hard  here.  If  we 
don't  occupy  them  with  some  other  matter,  they  will 
beat  us  in  the  controversy  De  AuxiliisJ  Accordingly, 
the  Jesuit  Father  Aquete  was  sent  on  a  tour  through 
Spain,  preaching  that  'the  Virgin  would  rather  be 
damned  eternally  and  live  with  the  devils  than  have 
been  conceived  in  original  sin.'  Cardinal  Lugo's  plan 
of  beating  the  Dominicans  succeeded,  and  from  that 
time  the  Jesuits,  thrusting  the  Franciscans  aside,  took 
charge  of  the  intrigue  which  ended  in  the  decree  of 
Pope  Pius  IX.  in  1854. 

Similarly  in  respect  to  Papal  Infallibility.  The 
dogma  in  its  favour  was  issued,  not  because  it  was 
thought  to  be  true — for  all  history  and  all  experience 
contradicted  it— but  because  the  General  of  the  Jesuits 
held  it  to  be  good  policy  to  concentrate  authority  in 
the  hands  of  the  '  White  Pope,'  which  would  be  really 
exercised  by  himself,  the  '  Black  Pope.'  In  this  intrigue, 
which  ended  in  the  Vatican  Council's  decrees,  Cardinal 
Manning  for  once  co-operated  with  the  Jesuits,  whom 
he  heartily  detested  ;  and  not  only  he,  but  also  the 
Protestant  representative  of  Great  Britain  at  Rome — 
Mr.  Odo  Russell — who  had  been  living  for  twelve 
years  in  Rome  in  the  society  of  Cardinals  and  Papal 
courtiers,  and  was  anxious  to  strengthen  the  Papal 
throne  against  the  seditious  spirit  with  which  he  knew 
the  city  to  be  honeycombed.  He  thought  that  the  only 
way  of  saving  the  Papal  monarchy  was  by  hedging  it 
round  with  a  prestige  derived  from  superstition,  and 
consequently,  when  Mr.  Gladstone  proposed  that  Eng- 
land should  join  in  the  Bavarian  protest  against  the 
declaration  of  the  dogma,  Mr.  Odo  Russell,  making 
himself  the  mouthpiece  of  Manning  and  the  Vaticanist 
party,  so  represented  the  case  to  the  Foreign  Secre- 


1 87o]      THE  DOGMA  OF  INFALLIBILITY         59 

tary,  Lord  Clarendon,  that  he  opposed  Mr.  Gladstone's 
design,  and  defeated  him  in  his  own  Cabinet.  '  Dr. 
Dollinger,'  writes  Mr.  Purcell,  '  who  was  a  persona 
grata  to  the  King  of  Bavaria,  suggested  to  King 
Louis  II.  that  a  coalition  should  be  formed  of  the 
various  States,  whose  Catholic  subjects  would  be 
deprived,  as  he  pretended,  of  their  civil  liberties  by 
the  setting  up  of  the  Pope's  Infallibility,  a  dogma  in- 
compatible with  their  civil  allegiance.  Bavaria  was 
to  take  the  first  step,  and  to  propose  to  the  English 
Government  to  issue  in  due  form  and  order  an  invita- 
tion to  France,  Prussia,  Austria,  Bavaria,  and  Belgium, 
to  make  a  common  stand  against  the  Vatican  Council, 
and  to  present  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  through  their 
respective  representatives  at  the  Holy  See,  a  common 
declaration  that  the  definition  of  Papal  Infallibility  was 
against  public  policy,  and  that  the  promulgation  of 
any  such  dogma  by  the  Council  would  be  prohibited 
by  international  enactments.  .  .  .  On  the  occasion  of 
the  presentation  by  Prince  Hohenlohe,  the  President 
of  the  Bavarian  Ministry,  of  a  formal  proposal  that  the 
English  Government  should  invite  the  Powers  of 
Europe  to  intervene  at  the  Vatican  for  the  protection 
of  the  civil  and  religious  liberty  of  their  Catholic  sub- 
jects, there  was  a  prolonged  and  hot  discussion  in  the 
Cabinet.  In  giving  this  information,  Cardinal  Manning 
said  :  "  The  Prime  Minister,  Mr.  Gladstone,  supported 
the  Bavarian  proposal  on  the  grounds  and  by  the 
arguments  supplied  to  him  by  Acton  ;  but  Lord  Claren- 
don, better  informed  by  Odo  Russell,  exposed  one  by 
one  the  fallacious  statements  and  wilful  distortions  of 
fact.  Finally,  after  a  hot  discussion,  Mr.  Gladstone 
was  defeated  in  the  Cabinet,  the  Bavarian  proposal 
was  rejected,  and  the  Vatican  Council  was  left  in  peace 
to  do  God's  work.  .  .  ."  Had  Dr.  Dollinger's  plan  suc- 
ceeded, and  the  Powers  of  Europe  taken  common 
action  against  the  Pope  and  the  Council,  the  moral 


6o  ROME  [1900 

influence  of  the  Opposition  would  have  become  almost 
irresistible,  and  the  united  action  of  the  majority  of 
the  Fathers  of  the  Council  have  been  broken,  or  so 
weakened  as  to  have  rendered  them  helpless  to  resist 
the  final  demand,  insisted  upon  by  the  Opposition,  of 
proroguing  the  Council.  "...  Had  the  Council  been 
prorogued,"  continued  Manning,  "  according  to  the 
designs  of  the  Opposition,  owing  to  events — the 
Franco-German  War,  the  seizure  of  Rome,  the 
persecution  of  Catholics  in  Germany  by  Bismarck- 
it  would  have  been  prorogued  sine  die.  The  Council, 
with  the  Pope  a  prisoner  in  the  Vatican,  could  not 
have  met  again,  and  the  Pope's  Infallibility  would  have 
been  undefined  even  to  this  day  " '  (Life  of  Manning,  xvi, 
pp.  432-436).  It  is  singular  that  the  definition  of  the 
Pope's  Infallibility  should  have  been  brought  about 
by  a  coalition  of  the  General  of  the  Jesuits,  an  English 
convert,  and  a  Protestant  diplomatist. 

The  present  General,  Father  Martin,  a  Spaniard, 
lives  partly  in  Rome,  partly  at  Fiesole,  and  once  a 
year  he  goes  to  Paris  to  hold  a  conclave  of  the  heads 
of  the  Order  inferior  to  himself,  to  whom  he  gives  his 
orders  as  to  their  political  and  social  conduct,  and 
with  whom  he  examines  their  reports  on  the  industrial, 
banking,  and  agricultural  enterprises  of  the  Society. 
It  is  said  that,  being  absent  from  Rome  in  1898  for 
eight  days,  he  found  on  his  return  4,000  letters 
waiting  for  him,  and  that  after  a  stay  at  Fiesole  of 
four  months,  during  which  only  the  more  pressing 
communications  were  forwarded  to  him,  60,000  letters 
accumulated  for  him  in  Rome,  requiring  his  per- 
sonal supervision.  He  constitutes  himself  the  un- 
seen protector  of  the  Vatican,  and  hates  the  Italian 
kingdom  with  an  implacable  hatred.  The  condemnation 
of  Americanism  by  Leo.  XIII.  on  February  21,  1899,  is 
said  to  be  due  to  an  intrigue  of  Father  Martin  and  an 
Italian  journalist  named  Olinto  Spadoni.  Finding 


i9oo]     THE  GENERAL  OF  THE  JESUITS         61 

Americanism — that  is,  a  comparatively  liberal  theology 
— was  spreading,  Spadoni,  who  was  the  Roman  cor- 
respondent of  the  New  York  World,  called  on  the 
General,  to  concert  measures  for  crushing  it.  The 
result  of  their  consultation  was  that  Father  Martin 
undertook  to  see  that  Archbishop  Ireland  should  be 
summoned  to  Rome,  and  that  Leo  XIII.  should  issue 
a  Letter  condemning  Americanism,  and  Spadoni  agreed 
to  bring  out  a  journal  to  combat  the  American  views, 
which  was  to  be  circulated  in  thousands.  But  how 
was  the  expense  thus  incurred  to  be  met  ?  '  There 
are  good  works/  said  the  General  significantly,  '  for 
which  we  know  how  to  find  compensation.'  The 
General  carried  out  his  part,  so  far  as  Archbishop 
Ireland  and  the  Pope's  Letterwere  concerned ;  but  when 
Spadoni  applied  for  his  expenses,  Father  Martin  re- 
fused his  demand,  and  wrote  to  Cardinal  Franchi  to 
say  that  he  had  '  felicitated '  Spadoni  on  his  idea  of 
publishing  a  Catholic  journal,  but  had  made  no 
promise  of  pecuniary  assistance.  Spadoni,  indignant 
at  the  deception,  carried  the  case  into  the  Italian 
courts  of  law,  claiming  his  out-of-pocket  expenses 
and  20,000  lire  for  his  personal  services.  The  court 
took  cognizance  of  the  case  on  November  18,  1903, 
and  I  am  not  aware  that  judgment  has  yet  been 
given.  This  story,  recounted  by  the  Nazione,  the 
Sentinella  Valdese,  and  the  Chretien  Francais,  indicates 
the  power  that  the  '  Black  Pope '  exercises  over  the 
'  White,'  and  it  shows  us  the  value  of  Papal  Encyclicals 
as  personal  acts  of  infallible  authority.  The  Papal 
treasury  is  said  to  be  replenished  out  of  the  coffers 
of  the  Society,  whose  wealth  is  fabulous,  and  this  is 
one  of  the  causes  of  the  subserviency  of  the  '  White 
Pope,'  but  not  the  only  one.  Jesuitism  has  absorbed 
Romanism ;  the  faith  of  Ignatius  Loyola  and  the  moral 
theology  satirized  by  Pascal  are  now  the  faith  and 
moral  theology  of  the  whole  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


62  ROME  AND  NAPLES  [1850 

In  Rome  we  saw  a  good  deal  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harris  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Monsell.  Mrs.  Harris 
and  Mrs.  Monsell  were  sisters,  daughters  of  Lord 
Inchiquin,  and  sisters  of  Smith  O'Brien,  who  at  the 
time  was  instigating  the  'cabbage-garden  rising'  in  Ire- 
land. It  was  said  that,  as  the  two  sisters  were  leaving 
Naples,  a  steamer  from  England  met  their  outgoing 
steamer,  and  that  the  captain,  being  asked  as  they 
passed  for  news  from  England,  replied  that  there  was 
none,  except  that  '  that  rascal  Smith  O'Brien  had  been 
hanged,'  which,  however,  turned  out  to  be  untrue. 
Mr.  Harris,  the  brother  of  Lord  Malmesbury,  was 
afterwards  appointed  Bishop  of  Gibraltar,  and  did 
much  for  the  British  congregations  on  the  Continent, 
and  by  his  courtesy  and  piety  raised  the  estimation  in 
which  the  English  Church  was  held  by  the  heads  of 
the  Greek  Church.  The  Patriarch  of  Constantinople 
was  much  pleased  at  his  second  name,  which  was 
Amyand.  '  Ah  !'  said  the  Patriarch,  '  most  suitable  for 
a  Bishop  —  'A/uWro?,  the  unstained.'  In  1873  he 
came  to  Torquay,  and  lodged  in  the  same  house  with 
me,  both  of  us  having  broken  down  in  health.  On 
March  16,  1874,  he  died  there. 

The  party  had  come  to  Italy  in  1849  for  Mr.  Monsell's 
health,  who  was  far  gone  in  consumption,  and  died 
at  Naples,  to  which  city  we  accompanied  them, 
together  with  Sir  John  Harington.  Returning  to 
England  after  her  husband's  death,  Mrs.  Monsell  be- 
came Superior  of  the  Clewer  Sisterhood.  I  did  not 
see  her  again  until  it  was  my  lot  to  summon  her  to 
the  death-bed  of  Bishop  Harris  in  1874,  when  she 
stayed  for  a  week  with  us.  It  was  interesting  to  note 
how  she  was  the  same  woman  before  her  work  at 
Clewer  began  and  now  when  her  life  was  nearly  being 
brought  to  a  close.  In  the  comparatively  young  wife 
of  1849  and  the  comparatively  aged  Mother  Superior 
of  1874  there  was  apparent  the  same  character,  the 


1850-74]  MRS.  MONSELL  63 

same  individuality.  She  was  as  deeply  a  religious 
woman  in  1849  as  in  1874,  and  she  was  as  bright, 
merry,  buoyant,  cheerful,  almost  playful,  in  1874  as  in 
1849.  She  was  not  lifted  up,  as  some  women  have 
been,  by  a  position  of  authority,  nor  was  she  stiffened 
into  a  female  ecclesiastic.  She  did  not  walk  about 
saying  to  herself  that  she  was  a  Lady  Abbess,  or  a 
Mother  Elderess,  or  a  Church  dignitary  of  any  kind. 
She  was  Mother  Superior,  but  all  the  time  she  was 
Mrs.  Monsell ;  and  her  simple,  unaffected  behaviour 
as  a  kind-hearted  lady,  and  her  Irish  humour,  helped 
her  to  do  her  work  as  the  head  of  a  religious  society, 
and  saved  her  from  many  of  the  failures,  mistakes, 
and  faults  which  Miss  Sellon  and  others  in  like  posi- 
tion committed.  Her  honest  and  loyal  obedience  to 
her  Bishop  (Samuel  Wilberforce),  the  memory  which 
she  cherished  of  her  husband,  who  had  died  peace- 
fully in  the  faith  of  the  English  Church,  her  experience 
of  the  religion  on  the  Continent,  and  her  own  sound 
sense,  kept  her  a  faithful  and  loving  member  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  thus  she  escaped  a  rock  on 
which  it  appeared  at  one  time  that  Anglican  sister- 
hoods were  destined  to  founder,  which  is  yet  a  serious 
danger  to  them. 

From  Italy  we  went  to  Sicily,  at  that  time  ruled  by 
General  Filangieri  for  the  King  of  Naples ;  thence  to 
Malta,  where  I  fell  in  for  the  last  time  with  J.  E. 
Bowden  (p.  35),  and  went  with  him  to  the  services  for 
Holy  Week,  very  beautifully  rendered  in  St.  John's 
Church,  Valetta ;  thence  to  Corfu,  where  we  were 
hospitably  received  by  the  Lord  High  Commissioner, 
Sir  Henry  Ward :  for  at  this  time  the  Septinsular 
Republic  formed  by  the  seven  islands  Corfu,  Paxo, 
Ithaca,  Cephalonia,  Santa  Maura,  Zante,  Cerigo,  was 
a  dependency  of  Great  Britain.  From  1386  to  1797 
the  islands  were  under  Venetian  rule.  Then  for  twelve 
years  they  were  subject  either  to  Russia  or  to  France, 


64  CORFU  [1850 

and  in  1809  they  were  conquered  by  the  British,  and  by 
the  Treaty  of  Paris  in  1815  were  recognised  as  being 
under  British  protection.  A  Constitution  was  given 
them  by  Sir  Thomas  Maitland,  known  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean as  King  Tom,  consisting  of  a  Lord  High  Com- 
missioner, representing  the  English  Sovereign ;  a 
Senate  of  five  members,  nominated  by  the  Lord  High 
Commissioner ;  and  a  Legislative  Assembly  of  forty 
members.  The  Assembly,  which  only  met  every  third 
year,  and  then  sat  for  only  three  months,  was  in 
session  at  the  time  of  my  arrival,  and  they  were  in  a 
very  discontented  and  riotous  frame  of  mind,  the  five 
members  for  Cephalonia  pressing  for  immediate  in- 
corporation with  Greece,  a  question  which  the  Lord 
High  Commissioner  did  not  allow  to  be  debated.  On 
April  13  we  were  engaged  to  ride  with  His  Excellency, 
but  so  threatening  a  disturbance  took  place  in  the 
Assembly  that  the  President  appealed  to  the  Lord 
High  Commissioner  to  support  his  authority.  His 
Excellency  ordered  a  sergeant  and  guard  and  thirty 
policemen  to  be  in  readiness,  but  the  excitement 
cooled  down,  and  they  were  not  needed.  Sir  Henry 
thought  it  right  to  remain  on  the  spot,  that  he  might, 
if  necessary,  dissolve  the  Parliament.  Meantime  we 
went  for  our  ride  with  two  of  his  daughters  and  an 
Aide-de-camp,  and  after  two  or  three  hours,  when 
peace  was  now  assured,  he  joined  us.  When  Lord 
Derby  was  Prime  Minister,  he  commissioned  Mr. 
Gladstone,  whose  position  as  a  Peelite  was  at  the  time 
undefined,  to  proceed  to  Corfu  and  to  hand  over  the 
Septinsular  Republic  to  Greece,  which  Mr.  Gladstone's 
love  of  Greece  made  him  very  willing  to  do.  It  was 
a  generous  act  on  the  part  of  England,  for  Greece 
wanted  territory  and  subjects,  and  the  Corfiotes  de- 
sired annexation ;  and  it  was  also  a  piece  of  good 
policy,  as  the  position  of  the  islands  did  not  make 
them  of  much  value  to  us,  and  it  was  not  satisfactory 


i85o]  MEGASPELION  65 

to  be  answerable  for  the  acts  of  roving  Greek 
islanders. 

Lady  Ward  was  sister  to  Mrs.  Bowden,  mother  of 
J.  E.  Bowden  (p.  35),  and  I  had  met  two  of  the  Misses 
Ward  at  the  Observatory,  Oxford,  the  house  of  Manuel 
Johnson,  a  friend  of  the  Bowdens  and  a  well-known 
character  at  Oxford.  His  Excellency's  chaplain  was 
Mr.  Skinner,  afterwards  incumbent  of  St.  Barnabas, 
London,  a  friend  of  Dr.  Pusey;  and  G.  F.  Bowen 
(p.  17)  was  his  secretary. 

From  Corfu  we  travelled  to  Patras  and  Corinth, 
passing  on  our  way  Missolonghi,  where  Mavrocordato, 
in  the  War  of  Independence,  with  500  men  beat  off  the 
Turks  with  14,000  men  in  1824,  and  in  1826  the  garrison, 
when  blockaded  by  Ibrahim  Pasha  and  Raschid  Pasha 
with  34,000  men,  having  eaten  their  last  crust,  cut  their 
way  through  the  enemy,  while  those  left  behind  blew 
up  themselves  and  the  town  by  firing  the  powder- 
magazine.  It  was  at  Missolonghi  that  Byron  died  in 
1824.  Turning  inland,  we  reached  the  Monastery  of 
Megaspelion,  where  Bishop  Germanus  first  unfurled 
the  banner  of  Greek  independence  in  1821.  Megas- 
pelion is  perched  on  the  face  of  a  precipitous  cliff,  a 
hundred  feet  from  the  top  and  many  hundred  feet  from 
the  bottom.  The  church  is  in  a  vast  natural  cavern, 
and  the  residences  of  the  monks  are  built  without 
order  on  a  rock  projecting  from  the  mouth  of  the 
cavern,  at  the  outer  edge  of  which  a  blank  wall  has 
been  built,  with  a  few  windows  opening  into  the 
monks'  quarters.  The  ascent  is  by  a  winding  path.  It 
served  as  a  safe  retreat  to  the  Greeks  in  the  War  of 
Independence,  and  was  vainly  besieged  by  Ibrahim 
Pasha  in  1826.  There  were  270  kaloyers  (monks),  who 
elected  their  Abbot  annually,  and  occupied  themselves 
chiefly  in  agriculture — very  simple  folk. 

The  night  before  we  reached  Megaspelion  we  slept 
at  Vostizza,  the  ancient  ^Egium,  once  the  chief  town 

5 


66  GREECE  [1850 

of  the  Achaean  League,  where  we  were  kindly  received 
by  Kyr  Soterios  Poniatopulos,  to  whom  we  had  an 
introduction.  Unfortunately,  he  could  not  speak 
Italian  or  French,  and  our  Oxford  and  Eton  Greek 
would  not  serve  as  a  means  of  communication  until 
we  had  learnt  a  few  rules  of  pronunciation  and 
grammar.  Our  host,  with  many  smiles  and  bows, 
made  us  sit  down  on  a  dai's,  and  took  a  chair  facing 
us,  dressed  in  a  dark  jacket  bound  with  fur,  purple 
waistcoat,  white  fustianelle  or  flounces,  white  leggings, 
slippers,  and  red  cap  with  purple  tassel.  When  we 
had  gazed  at  each  other  for  a  little  time,  servants 
brought  lighted  pipes  about  3  feet  long,  which  we 
gravely  smoked ;  then  another  servant  brought  a  tray 
with  a  tumbler  of  preserve  on  it,  two  small  tumblers 
of  water,  two  filigree  silver  cups  and  spoons.  What 
to  do  with  them  ?  My  first  attempt  was  to  put  some 
of  the  preserve  into  the  cups.  That  not  being  right,  I 
tried  to  mix  it  with  the  water.  On  this  our  host  ran 
across  to  us,  and  without  a  word,  but  with  much 
laughter  from  all  of  us,  took  a  spoonful  of  the  pre- 
serve and  gave  it  to  me  to  eat,  and  then  put  one  of 
the  tumblers  of  water  in  my  hand  to  drink.  In  a 
short  time  coffee  was  brought  in  two  little  cups,  and 
while  we  were  drinking  it  a  friend  of  our  host,  who 
could  talk  English,  a  grandson  of  Admiral  Miaulis, 
of  the  War  of  Independence,  arrived.  The  two  Greek 
gentlemen  told  us  that  Greece  was  at  that  time  divided 
between  two  parties,  the  Russian  and  the  anti-Russian 
parties,  the  latter  of  which  was  subdivided  into  the 
English  and  French  parties.  The  first  of  these  parties 
worshipped  Russia  as  the  natural  enemy  of  Turkey 
and  protector  of  Eastern  Christians.  The  second 
looked  to  England  and  France  to  set  a  Greek  once 
more  on  the  throne  of  Constantinople  as  the  successor 
of  the  Byzantine  Emperor  when  the  Turks  should  be 
driven  out  of  Europe,  and  it  feared  the  rivalry  of 


i8so]  BLOCKADE  OF  ATHENS  67 

St.  Petersburg.  This  cause  of  antagonism  between 
Greece  and  Russia  still  exists,  and  makes  an  animosity 
between  the  two  nations. 

On  reaching  Athens,  we  found  the  English  fleet 
lying  off  the  Piraeus,  blockading  the  Greek  capital. 
It  had  been  sent  by  Lord  Palmerston  to  exact 
compensation  for  the  loss  of  Mr.  Finlay  the  his- 
torian's garden,  which  had  been  taken  from  him, 
and  for  injury  done  to  Don  Pacifico's  house,  and 
to  demand  an  apology  for  Lieutenant  Breen  having 
been  seized  and  imprisoned,  through  a  misunder- 
standing, at  Patras,  together  with  some  British 
sailors.  Pacifico  was  a  Jew  whose  house  had  been 
broken  into  by  an  Athenian  mob  because  they  had 
been  forbidden  to  burn  the  effigy  of  a  Jew  on  Good 
Friday  according  to  custom.  He  was  under  the  pro- 
tection of  England  because  he  belonged  to  the  Sept- 
insular  Republic.  The  English  fleet  made  a  gallant 
show  in  the  Bay  of  Salamis,  consisting  of  the  Queen, 
the  Howe,  the  Caledonia,  the  Vengeance,  the  Powerful, 
the  Bellerophon,  the  Ganges,  the  Scourge,  the  Spiteful, 
the  Firebrand,  and  the  Dragon.  In  spite  of  the 
blockade,  we  lived  at  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre  in 
Athens,  and  passed  freely  backwards  and  forwards 
between  the  city  and  the  fleet.  On  April  27,  1850, 
King  Otho  gave  way,  and  it  happened  that  we — un- 
mistakable Englishmen  by  our  dress — met  him  in  the 
crowded  street  on  the  day  of  the  surrender.  Of  course 
we  took  off  our  hats,  and  he  courteously  bowed  to  us. 
The  commander  of  the  Scourge  was  Lord  Frederic 
Kerr,  uncle  of  Lord  Lothian,  and  we  spent  several 
days  on  his  ship.  At  a  later  date  I  saw  much  of 
him  at  Newbattle  Abbey  in  Scotland  and  at  Blickling 
Hall,  Norfolk,  which  was  lent  to  him  for  several 
years  by  his  nephew.  He  was  a  man  wise  and 
kind,  and  his  quiet  humour  made  him  a  delightful 
companion. 

5— 2 


68  ATHENS  [1850 

Some  of  those  who  had  taken  part  in  the  War  of 
Greek  Independence  were  still  living,  and  among  them 
General  Church,  to  whom  we  brought  an  introduction 
from  his  nephew,  Dean  Church.  In  the  Greek  War 
he  played  the  part  of  Garibaldi's  Englishman  (Colonel 
Peard)  in  the  Italian  risorgimento,  and  made  the  name 
of  Englishman  honoured  in  Greece. 

Two  of  the  greatest  benefactors  that  Greece  has 
ever  had  were  carrying  on  their  beneficent  work  at 
this  time — Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hill.  Archbishop  Lycurgus 
of  Syros  has  left  a  graphic  account,  written  at  the  time 
of  Mrs.  Hill's  death,  of  the  way  in  which  they  under- 
took their  mission.  '  Fanny  M.  Hill  ($>avrj  M.  Xt'XX), 
learning  in  America  the  utter  ruin  and  desolation  of 
Greece,  caused  by  the  savagery  and  brutality  of  the 
barbarians,  and  feeling  for  her,  said  to  her  reverend 
and  good  husband  :  "  Come,  let  us  go  to  Greece,  to 
inspire  courage,  instruct,  and  teach  the  Holy  Gospel 
to  those  who,  with  unexampled  bravery  and  noble- 
ness, have  shaken  off  the  heavy  yoke  of  slavery  which 
has  oppressed  them  for  400  years."  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Hill  agreed  to  the  proposal  of  his  dear  wife.  So  they 
came  to  Athens,  and  established  the  girls'  school  which 
bears  their  name,  where  they  carried  on  their  work  as 
teachers  with  zealous  enthusiasm  and  unexampled 
self-denial,  without  interfering  with  the  religious 
opinions  of  the  young  girls  instructed  by  them, 
whence  their  school  became  famous  and  admired 
throughout  Greece.  The  women  that  have  been  re- 
markable for  piety,  virtue,  and  Christian  life  were  the 
pupils  of  Fanny  Hill.  The  wives  and  mothers  that 
have  been  remarkable  for  public  spirit  and  simple  life 
were  her  pupils.  Eternal  gratitude  is  due  to  this 
venerable  lady  that  has  been  taken  from  us,  who 
devoted  the  whole  of  her  life  to  the  moulding  of  our 
nation.  Her  memory  shall  remain  deathless  and  age- 
less, and  her  name  shall  be  engraven  in  golden  letters, 


i8so]  DR.  AND  MRS.  HILL  69 

which  shall  never  be  obliterated,  in  the  hearts  of  the 
Grecian  people.' 

It  was  in  1830  that  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  came  and 
settled  down  among  the  ruins  which  marked  where 
Athens  had  been  and  was  to  be,  and  seeing  the 
imperious  need  that  Greece  had  of  the  education 
which  Turkish  barbarism  had  denied  her,  they  imme- 
diately opened  a  school  for  boys  and  girls.  It  was 
the  only  school  to  be  found  in  Greece  during  the 
first  years  of  the  restored  nation,  and  it  was  quite 
gratuitous.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  arranged  to  take  one 
girl  from  each  of  the  ten  divisions  of  Greece  on  the 
condition  of  her  going  back  to  her  own  district  and 
there  devoting  herself  to  educational  work.  By  this 
means  education  was  spread  throughout  Greece.  The 
wealthier  classes  came  and  begged  that  their  children, 
too,  might  be  received,  when  they  saw  the  excellent 
education  given  to  their  poorer  neighbours ;  and  this 
was  done,  superior  schools  being  instituted  for  them. 
With  the  fees  thus  gained  the  Hills  engaged  English 
and  American  teachers  to  superintend  the  schools 
both  of  rich  and  poor,  which  soon  began  to  multiply. 
On  Otho's  accession  the  State  undertook  the  education 
of  boys,  placing  that  of  girls  unreservedly  in  the  hands 
of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hill.  In  this  important  sphere  Dr. 
Hill  laboured  for  fifty-two  years,  and  Mrs.  Hill  for 
fifty-four  years  —  supported  all  along  morally  and 
financially  by  the  American  Episcopal  Church — and 
during  this  time  some  three  generations  of  Greek 
women  passed  through  their  hands  drawn  from 
almost  every  family  in  the  kingdom.  In  1881  the 
King  publicly  returned  the  nation's  thanks  to  them, 
and  in  1882,  when  Dr.  Hill  died,  Professor  Diomede 
Cyriacus,  the  most  learned  ecclesiastic  in  Athens, 
made  a  funeral  oration  over  him,  as  the  spokesman  of 
Greek  sympathy  and  sorrow.  At  the  end  of  his 
oration  he  apostrophized  him  as  follows  :  'Yes,  vener- 


70  THE  ACROPOLIS  OF  ATHENS        [1850 

able  man,  thou  art  gone  to  the  other  life,  to  the 
Heavenly  Father  of  us  all,  leaving  to  us  a  beloved 
memory.  Not  only  those  of  thy  household,  to  whom 
thou  didst  bear  so  deep  an  affection,  will  remember 
thee  for  ever  with  praise;  not  only  in  America,  to 
which  thou  hast  been  an  honour,  will  thy  name  be 
never  forgotten  ;  but  Greece  too,  which  to-day  receives 
thy  body  into  its  bosom,  thy  second  country,  to  which 
thou  didst  consecrate  thy  whole  life  and  offer  such 
noble  services,  will  never  forget  thee.  Her  history 
will  enrol  thy  name  among  the  friends  of  Greece  who 
have  done  most  for  her  regeneration.  Taiav  e%ot<? 
e\a<f>pdv  !'  Dr.  Hill  was  chaplain  to  the  British 
Embassy  in  1850,  and  when  he  died  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  ninety-one.  His  wife  did  not  long  survive 
him.  Two  months  before  her  death  she  wrote  to  me 
expressing  her  '  sympathy  in  the  gratification  felt  in 
the  favourable  results  (now  everywhere  appearing)  of 
the  Anglo-Continental  Society's  efforts  to  promote  a 
healthy  reformation  among  the  National  Churches  of 
Europe  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  English 
Church.' 

At  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre  we  joined  parties  with 
Miss  Nightingale  and  her  uncle,  Mr.  Bracebridge,  and 
with  them  went  over  the  ruins  of  the  Parthenon,  the 
Erectheium,  the  Propylsea,  the  Temple  of  Victory,  the 
Areopagus,  and  the  other  glories  of  the  Acropolis, 
most  of  which  were  shattered  by  the  explosion  of 
the  Turkish  powder  magazine  200  years  ago,  the 
pillars,  of  Pentelican  marble,  still  lying  where 
they  then  fell.  There  stood  once  the  statue  of  the 
Parthenos,  wrought  by  Phidias  in  gold  and  ivory,  and 
not  far  off  was  that  other  statue  of  Athena  Promachos 
in  bronze,  armed  with  spear,  helmet,  and  shield,  which 
looked  down  on  St.  Paul  when  he  made  his  address 
on  Mars'  Hill.  Miss  Nightingale  was  much  interested 
by  finding  flitting  about  the  ruins  a  number  of  the 


i85o]  PELOPONNESUS  71 

1  owls '  which  were  sacred  to  Athena.  Miss  Nightingale 
was  not  at  this  time  the  famous  person  that  she  after- 
wards became.  The  Crimean  War  was  not  yet,  nor 
the  Netley  Hospital.  Few  people  have  done  so 
much  to  raise  their  own  sex  and  to  promote  the 
comfort  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldier  as  Florence 
Nightingale. 

After  a  fortnight  at  Athens  we  resolved  on  an 
expedition  into  Peloponnesus,  and  for  this  purpose  we 
sold  ourselves  for  so  much  a  week  to  our  guide, 
Andrea  Prindisi,  whom  we  had  brought  with  us  from 
Patras.  He  was  then  bound  to  take  charge  of  us  and 
conduct  us  to  the  places  agreed  on,  which  were  Corinth, 
Mycenae,  Argos,  Tiryns,  Tripolizza,  Tegea,  Mantinea, 
Messene,  Sparta,  and  back.  At  Corinth,  to  which  we 
went  by  steamer,  Andrea  engaged  saddle-horses  for 
us  and  himself,  and  baggage-horses  and  men  for  our 
luggage.  On  the  horses'  backs  we  carried  everything 
that  we  were  to  use,  including  sheets  and  blankets, 
and  every  evening  Andrea  sent  on  one  of  the  men  to 
hire  and  wash  a  cottage  in  which  we  might  sleep.  At 
Corinth  there  were  remaining  only  seven  columns  of 
the  old  city,  but  there  was  the  Acro-Corinthus,  which 
no  wars  or  revolutions  could  destroy,  and  from  it 
there  was  a  magnificent  view  to  the  west  over  Achaia, 
to  the  east  Salamis,  to  the  south  Peloponnesus,  and  to 
the  north  Megara  and  the  Corinthian  Gulf.  The 
treasures  of  Mycenae  had  not  yet  been  dug  out,  but 
we  saw  the  Gate  of  Lions,  the  Treasury  of  Atreus, 
and  the  Tomb  of  Agamemnon  (so  called).  Near 
Tiryns  was  fought  a  gallant  battle  in  the  War 
of  Independence,  when  Ypsilanti  and  Colocotroni 
defeated  Pasha  Dramali.  In  the  Plain  of  Mantinea 
we  noted  the  site  of  the  five  battles  fought  there  in 
old  days,  in  one  of  which  Epaminondas  was  killed. 
The  evening  before  reaching  Sparta  we  slept  in  the 
Monastery  of  Vurkano,  on  the  slopes  of  Mount  Ithome. 


72  THE  PASS  OF  ZAGARA  [1850 

It  was  an  undisciplined  and  dirty  place.  At  night  I 
was  lying  on  the  floor  of  the  guest-chamber,  my 
companion  occupying  the  dais,  when  in  the  darkness 
I  felt  a  centipede  crawling  across  my  face.  I  seized 
him  and  threw  him  to  the  other  end  of  the  room;  but 
I  had  no  matches,  and  imagination  represented  the 
room  full  of  centipedes  for  the  rest  of  the  night.  In 
Sparta  there  is  little  except  the  natural  features  of  the 
country  to  mark  the  site  of  the  stern  old  city — 4  Seges 
ubi  Sparta.' 

On  our  return  to  Athens  we  spent  a  week  there,  in 
which  we  visited  the  temples  at  Sunium  and  Egina, 
and  then  resold  ourselves  to  Andrea  Prindisi  for  an 
expedition  in  Northern  Greece  as  far  as  Thermopylae. 
Andrea  took  great  care  of  us,  and  we  escaped  the 
bandits  with  whom  our  friends  threatened  us,  but 
only  by  the  skin  of  our  teeth.  From  Thebes  to 
Lebadea  there  are  two  roads — one  by  the  pass  of 
Zagara,  the  other  by  the  side  of  Lake  Copais.  We 
were  taking  the  Zagara  road,  and  had  passed  the 
little  village  of  Panaghia,  when  the  villagers,  headed 
by  their  pope,  came  running  after  us.  *  We  have 
something  to  tell  you — ®e\ofj.€v  va  ofja^aw^ev  -mro-re,' 
they  cried.  *  kev  e^o^v  /caipov — We  have  not  time,' 
said  Andrea,  turning  his  back  on  them.  '  Very 
well ;  good-day  to  you— -'£lpa  Ka\rj  a-fa !'  replied  the 
pope  significantly.  Thinking  better  of  it,  Andrea 
went  back  and  made  inquiries,  when  he  learnt  that 
two  travellers,  probably  Englishmen,  had  been  seized 
by  robbers  in  the  Pass  of  Zagara.  What  had  become 
of  them  was  not  known,  but  some  of  the  horses  and 
muleteers  had  fled  back  '  naked ' — i.e.,  without  saddles 
and  bridles  or  cloaks.  '  What  are  we  to  do,  Andrea  ?' 
'  Will  you  not  go  back  to  Thebes  ?'  '  Certainly  not.' 
1  Then,  we  must  take  the  other  road  by  Lake  Copais.' 
This  we  accordingly  did,  and  on  arriving  at  Lebadea 
found  that  the  travellers  had  been  Danes,  who  had 


i85o]  GREEK  PALIKARI  73 

been  robbed  of  everything ;  and  one  of  them  had  been 
injured  by  a  bandit  having  struck  him  in  the  breast 
with  the  butt-end  of  his  gun,  which  is  not  shaped  like 
ours,  but  sharp  at  the  upper  and  lower  ends. 

We  had  already  passed  Platsea,  Leuctra,  Thespise, 
as  well  as  Thebes,  and  we  now  came  to  the  Cave  of 
Trophonius,  Orchomenos,  Chaeroneia,  Delphi,  the 
Fountain  of  Castalia — all  of  them  full  of  classical 
associations — and  then,  winding  round  the  foot  of 
Mount  Parnassus,  we  crossed  into  Doris.  As  we 
were  descending  a  steep  road  under  the  shadow  of 
Parnassus,  Andrea  said  to  us,  *  This  is  the  most 
dangerous  spot,  signori.  You  must  keep  your 
watches  and  purses,  because,  the  palikari  expect 
Englishmen  to  have  them,  and  if  you  were  without 
them  they  might  cut  off  your  ears ;  but  if  you  have 
any  trinkets  that  you  specially  value,  give  them  to  me.' 
We  handed  him  some  pencil-cases,  when  he  gravely 
cut  a  hole  in  his  wooden  saddle  and  stowed  them  in 
it,  saying,  'Now,  signori,  they  will  not  find  them  there.' 
The  muleteers  ceased  their  cries,  and  we  moved  on  in 
silence.  Just  in  the  posto  cattivissimo  I  looked  up  and 
saw,  on  a  bank  above,  a  party  of  men  dressed  in 
fustianelle,  and  carrying  long  formidable  guns.  *  There 
are  the  robbers,  Andrea,'  I  said.  '  Oh,  signor,  where  ? 
No,  thanks  to  heaven ;  they  are  the  road-police !  I 
will  give  my  men  such  a  good  dinner  as  soon  as  we 
reach  the  plain.' 

We  reached  the  Plain  of  Doris  (the  most  luxuriant 
spot  in  Greece,  such  as  Arcadia  ought  to  be  and  is  not) 
in  safety,  and  learnt  that  the  previous  day  the  palikari 
had  plundered  a  village  just  off  our  course.  In  the 
evening  we  reached  Thermopylae,  and  took  up  our 
quarters  in  a  khan  (an  uninhabited,  unfurnished  build- 
ing for  the  reception  of  travellers),  which  last  week 
had  been  held  for  two  days  by  the  brigands  against 
the  Greek  soldiers.  It  was  situated  in  a  pestiferous 


74  THERMOPYLAE  [1850 

marsh,  the  effects  of  which  we  afterwards  felt,  and 
we  were  victimized  by  mosquitoes. 

The  next  day  we  eagerly  sought  the  pass  in  which 
the  noblest  battle  in  the  world's  history  was  fought. 
There  Leonidas  and  his  300  Spartans,  with  the 
Thespian  volunteers,  made  their  last  stand,  attacked 
on  both  sides  by  Xerxes'  overwhelming  forces,  the 
rest  of  the  Greek  army  having  retired.  There  they 
fell,  every  man  of  them,  except  Aristodemus,  who, 
being  half  blind,  and  not  having  hurried  to  join  his 
devoted  comrades,  went  ever  afterwards  by  the  name 
of  '  the  man  that  was  afraid.'  There  once  stood  the 
monument,  afterwards  erected,  with  the  glorious 
inscription  : 

'  Tell  the  Spartans,  passer-by, 
At  their  bidding  here  we  lie.3* 

But  it  was  difficult  to  fix  the  exact  spot,  for  the  pass 
was  formerly  made  by  Mount  (Eta  on  one  side,  and 
the  Malian  Gulf  on  the  other;  but  now  the  sea  has 
retired,  and  the  pass  is  too  wide  to  be  held  by  such 
a  handful  of  men  as  Leonidas'  little  band  of  patriots. 
It  is  something  to  have  stood  on  the  spot  where 
300  self-devoted  men  saved  Western  civilization  from 
being  overwhelmed  by  Asiatic  despotism. 

Passing  along  the  shore  of  the  Euripus  southwards, 
we  reached  Chalcis  of  Euboea,  still  connected  with  the 
mainland  by  a  bridge  originally  built  in  the  twenty- 
first  year  of  the  Peloponnesian  War,  and  Aulis,  the 
scene  of  Iphigenia's  sacrifice,  and  thence  we  took  a  boat 
to  Marathon.  Thus,  we  landed  much  where  the 
Persians  had  landed,  and  whence  they  fled  after  their 
defeat  by  Miltiades.  From  the  Plain  of  Marathon, 
Andrea  conducted  us  back  to  Athens,  where  we 

*  The  translation  by  James  Riddell,  p.  20,  of  the  original : 

Tfll  ^etv',  ayyeAA,€iv  AaKeSai/xovtots  on  rfjSe 
TOIS 


i85o]  WILLIAM  PALMER  75 

parted  from  him.  He  was  a  faithful  and  trustworthy 
guide,  who  took  great  care  of  his  charges.  We  en- 
gaged him  at  Patras,  as  he  was  acquainted  with 
Italian,  which  was  our  medium  of  conversation  with 
him.  He  was  a  tall  and  strong  man,  although  he 
retained  the  old-world  practice  of  having  himself  bled 
periodically  and  whenever  he  felt  ill. 

On  June  11  we  went  on  board  a  steamer  for  Con- 
stantinople, and  passed  by  Syra  (now  Syros),  Scio 
(Chios),  Smyrna,  and  Mitylene.  At  Smyrna  the 
malarial  fever,  caught  in  the  marshes  of  Thermopylae, 
and  perhaps  conveyed  by  the  mosquitoes,  made  itself 
felt,  and  by  the  time  that  we  reached  Constantinople 
I  was  quite  ill  with  it.  Fortunately,  William  and 
Edwin  Palmer  (p.  21)  were  expecting  us  there,  and 
Edwin  Palmer  took  charge  of  me  till  I  recovered.  By 
the  time  that  I  was  convalescent,  my  companion,  Lord 
Lothian,  also  had  a  slight  attack  of  the  fever. 

William  Palmer,  the  elder  brother  of  Lord  Selborne 
and  of  Edwin  Palmer,  had  come  to  hold  an  interview 
with  the  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  and,  if  the 
interview  were  satisfactory,  to  be  received  into  the 
Oriental  Church.  He  had  always  had  a  great  inclina- 
tion towards  that  Church.  In  1839  the  Grand-Duke 
Alexander  of  Russia  paid  a  visit  to  Oxford  with  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  and  William  Palmer,  being  then 
a  Fellow  of  Magdalen  College,  presented  a  petition 
to  him  in  favour  of  the  union  of  the  Russian  and 
Anglican  Churches,  and  asking  for  His  Imperial 
Highness's  protection  and  countenance  if  he  should 
go  to  Russia  to  study  the  theology  and  ritual  of  the 
Russian  Church.  The  next  year,  having  obtained  a 
letter  of  recommendation  from  Dr.  Routh,  the  Presi- 
dent of  his  college  (which,  however,  Archbishop 
Howley  declined  to  countersign),  he  carried  out  his 
plan,  and  travelled  to  St.  Petersburg  with  introduc- 
tions to  the  Ober  Procurer  (the  Emperor's  representa- 


76  CONSTANTINOPLE  [1850 

tive  in  the  Russian  Synod),  who  was  at  that  time  Count 
Pratasoff,  and  to  some  others  that  were  ecclesiastics  or 
interested  in  ecclesiastical  things.  With  them,  in- 
cluding Philaret,  Metropolitan  of  Moscow,  he  held 
learned  discussions  on  points  of  theology — such  as 
the  Divine  Procession,  Transubstantiation,  the  Mass, 
icons — on  which  there  was  difference  of  doctrine 
between  the  Russian,  Latin,  and  Anglican  Churches. 
In  these  discussions  he  demanded  to  be  recognised 
and  acknowledged  as  orthodox,  on  the  score  of  his 
being  a  member  of  the  Anglican  Church.  The 
authorities  of  the  Russian  Church  disallowed  his 
claim  while  offering  to  receive  him,  as  a  convert,  into 
their  Church.  This  was  not  what  Palmer  wanted, 
and  after  about  a  year's  visit  to  Russia  he  returned 
to  Oxford.  Having  spent  the  next  ten  years  at 
Magdalen  College,  partly  as  Tutor,  partly  as  student, 
he  resolved  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  head  of  the  Oriental 
Church,  the  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  being  ready 
now,  if  his  claim  of  the  equality  of  the  Churches  was 
rejected,  to  submit  individually  to  the  Greek  Church. 

On  July  4  we  took  a  caique  (skiff)  to  the  Fanar,  the 
headquarters  of  the  Eastern  Church  in  Constantinople, 
and  called  at  the  patriarchal  residence,  for  W.  Palmer 
to  have  his  desired  interview.  It  happened,  however, 
that  at  the  moment  a  Synod  was  being  held.  We 
were  therefore  admitted,  not  into  the  Synod  hall,  but 
into  an  adjoining  room,  in  which  were  the  Proto- 
syncellus  (the  chief  chaplain  and  minister  of  the 
Patriarch)  and  the  deacons  in  attendance  on  the 
Bishops,  who  were  sitting  silently  on  the  dais  which 
ran  round  the  room,  dressed  in  long  black  cassocks 
and  smoking  long  pipes.  Sweetmeats  and  pipes  were 
offered  to  us,  and  W.  Palmer  held  some  conversation 
with  the  Proto-syncellus,  who  is  the  only  person 
authorized  to  enter  the  Synod  hall  while  a  meeting 
is  going  on.  The  Synod  consisted  of  the  Patriarch  of 


i85o]  GREEK  SYNOD  77 

Constantinople,  three  ex-Patriarchs,  the  Patriarch  of 
Jerusalem,  and  some  Bishops  and  Archbishops.  The 
reason  why  there  are  generally  three  or  four  ex- 
Patriarchs  is  not  creditable  to  the  Eastern  Church. 
A  Patriarch  is  elected  by  the  Fanariotes.  After  three 
or  four  years  he  offends  the  leading  Fanariotes  (who 
answer  in  a  way  to  the  Roman  Cardinals  and  Con- 
gregations), or  the  Jesuits,  or  the  French  or  English 
or  Russian  Ambassador,  and  he  is  warned  that  he 
had  better  resign.  If  he  does  not  take  the  warning, 
a  firman  (order)  is  promptly  obtained  from  the  Sultan, 
exiling  him  from  Turkey.  The  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem 
resided  at  this  time  at  Constantinople,  though  contrary 
to  the  canons,  on  the  plea  that  the  capital  is  a  better 
centre  for  business,  and  that  his  presence  added  weight 
to  the  Constantinople  Synod.  The  subject  for  dis- 
cussion at  the  Synod  was  the  recognition  of  the 
Church  of  Greece  proper,  which  was  advocated  by  an 
Athenian  Archimandrite  and  Professor  named  Misael, 
who  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  desired  recognition. 
In  each  of  the  newly-emancipated  countries  the  Fanar 
is  very  jealous  of  the  independent  and  national  char- 
acter given  to  the  Churches,  and  desires  to  keep  them 
under  the  immediate  control  of  the  Patriarch  in  a 
manner  unacceptable  to  a  self-governed  nation.  In 
each  case  the  Fanar,  after  a  struggle,  has  to  yield. 

Owing  to  the  session  of  the  Synod,  Palmer  was  not 
able  to  see  the  authorities  of  the  Fanar,  nor,  when  he 
did  have  his  interview,  was  it  satisfactory  to  him. 
Had  he  been  baptized  with  three  immersions  ?  No ; 
it  was  not  the  Anglican  custom.  Had  he,  at  least,  had 
water  three  times  poured  upon  him  ?  Probably  not ; 
he  could  not  be  certain  of  it.  Then  he  must  be 
baptized  again.  But  that  would  mean  that  he  had 
not  been  a  Christian  down  to  the  present  moment, 
and  he  could  not  believe  that ;  and  he  knew  that  his 
father,  by  whom  he  had  been  baptized,  was  a  very 


78  CONSTANTINOPLE  [1850 

careful  ministrant.  That  might  be  so;  but  it  was  a 
rule  of  the  Church  that  a  child  should  be  thrice  im- 
mersed, and  he  must  now  submit  to  regard  his  previous 
baptism  as  null,  and  be  baptized  aright.  Thus,  it 
appeared  that  Constantinople  was  stiffer  in  its  unbend- 
ing adherence  to  rules  than  St.  Petersburg.  Palmer 
bowed  and  withdrew.  He  could  not  acknowledge  that 
he  had  now  to  begin  the  Christian  life. 

The  Palmers  travelled  with  us,  when  we  left  Con- 
stantinople, as  far  as  the  Dardanelles,  whence  they 
took  a  boat  to  Mount  Athos,  to  visit  the  monasteries, 
or  lavras}  whither  I  was  prevented  from  accompanying 
them  by  a  return  of  my  malarial  fever.  Subsequently 
W.  Palmer  went  to  Rome,  in  the  hope  that  Passaglia 
might  convince  him  of  the  truth  of  Romanism,  for,  as 
he  said  quaintly,  he  was  in  a  bad  plight.  He  was  dis- 
satisfied with  the  English  Church,  the  Greek  Church 
would  not  accept  him  except  on  a  condition  to  which 
he  could  not  assent,  and  he  could  not  believe  the 
Roman  doctrines.  Newman  had  built  a  bridge  for 
himself,  and  had  crossed  by  it ;  but  '  as  soon  as  I  try 
to  do  the  same,  I  find  myself  in  the  position  of  an 
elephant  under  whose  feet  the  planks  give  way  at  the 
first  step,'  Passaglia's  arguments  having  failed  to  con- 
vince him,  in  spite  of  his  desire  to  be  convinced,  he 
was  begged  to  go  into  a  retreat,  and  after  three  days' 
fasting,  praying,  and  preaching  he  was  asked  if  he 
could  not  now  embrace  the  Roman  theory.  No ;  he 
was  intellectually  unaffected.  'Well,'  said  Passaglia, 
'  my  soul  for  yours.  Join  us,  and  you  shall  in  time  be 
satisfied.'  '  When  such  a  good  man  as  Passaglia  made 
such  an  offer,'  said  Palmer  afterwards  in  his  half- 
humorous  way,  'it  was  not  to  be  despised.'  So  he 
joined  the  Roman  Church.  *  And  are  you  now  satisfied 
of  its  truth  ?'  I  asked  him  some  years  later.  '  No,'  he 
replied.  '  Intellectually  I  am  exactly  in  the  same 
position  as  before ;  but  I  am  more  comfortable  in  my 


i8so]  WILLIAM  PALMER  79 

present  communion.'  After  his  conversion,  he  lived 
for  the  most  part  in  Rome,  and  occupied  himself  in 
writing  Egyptian  Chronicles •,  which  interested  him  as 
an  antiquarian  pursuit.  He  died  and  was  buried  in 
Rome.  Dr.  Newman  said  of  him  in  1882  :  'Whatever 
might  be  the  criticisms  of  those  who  saw  him  casually, 
no  one  who  saw  him  much  could  be  insensible  to  his 
many  and  winning  virtues — to  his  simplicity,  to  his 
unselfishness,  to  his  gentleness  and  patience,  to  his 
singular  meekness,  to  his  zeal  for  the  truth  and  his 
honesty  whether  in  seeking  or  in  defending  it,  and  to 
his  calmness  and  cheerfulness  in  pain,  perplexity,  and 
disappointment.'  There  was,  indeed,  only  one  thing 
that  William  Palmer  lacked,  and  that  was  the  common- 
sense  which  looks  at  a  thing  all  round  and  makes 
allowance  for  conflicting  principles.  Not  having  this, 
he  became  an  ecclesiastical  Don  Quixote;  he  was  a 
man  of  noble  soul,  unselfish,  honest,  true,  lovable,  but 
lost  to  his  friends,  to  his  Church,  to  the  name  and 
fame  that  might  have  been  his,  by  his  inability  to  re- 
concile himself  to  the  conditions  of  imperfect  humanity 
and  human  institutions,  untaught  by  the  wisdom  of 
Butler. 

Among  many  objects  of  exceeding  interest  at  Con- 
stantinople, Santa  Sophia  stands  first.  It  was  once  the 
cathedral  church  of  Constantinople,  built  by  Justinian 
on  the  site  of  a  church,  erected  by  Constantine  and 
dedicated  to  the  Holy  Wisdom,  which  had  been  burnt 
down,  and  it  will  be  the  cathedral  church  of  Con- 
stantinople again  when  the  Turks  are  driven  from 
Europe.  Of  course  it  is  of  the  Byzantine  style  of 
architecture,  very  beautiful,  but  at  present  much 
marred  by  disfigurements  introduced  by  the  Mahom- 
etans. The  mosaics  are  concealed  by  whitewash, 
through  which,  however,  may  be  perhaps  traced  heads 
of  our  Lord,  of  Constantine,  and  of  Justinian.  The 
walls  are  disfigured  by  large  shields  hung  upon  them, 


8o  SANTA  SOPHIA  [1850 

containing  texts  from  the  Koran  in  golden  letters  on  a 
green  ground,  and  the  faces  of  the  cherubim  are  erased, 
though  their  wings  remain.  The  Turkish  kiblah,  which 
marks  the  direction  of  Mecca,  is  a  little  to  the  right  of 
where  the  altar  stood,  and  towards  this  point  the 
Mahometans  direct  their  prayers  and  arrange  their 
kneeling-mats,  which  gives  the  impression  at  first  of 
the  church  being  awry.  On  the  occasion  of  our  second 
visit  the  Turks  were  beginning  their  mid-day  prayers, 
during  which  we  were  allowed  only  in  the  gallery, 
whence  we  were  able  to  watch  them.  The  mattings 
were  placed  in  the  direction  of  the  kiblahy  and  between 
them  were  spaces  of  about  6  feet.  On  the  mattings 
the  worshippers  sat  cross-legged  in  rows.  Imaums 
led  the  prayers  from  a  raised  platform  in  a  loud,  ring- 
ing chant.  From  time  to  time  the  worshippers  rose 
and  touched  the  ground  with  their  foreheads,  and  then 
reseated  themselves  exactly  at  the  same  moment  with 
military  regularity.  When  the  prayers  were  over, 
some  left  the  mosque,  some  gathered  round  different 
imaums,  who  expounded  to  them  the  Koran.  As  we 
were  entering  the  mosque,  and  were  about  to  draw 
slippers  over  our  shoes,  according  to  rule,  a  Turk 
came  up  to  our  guide,  and  said  that  we  were  sons  of 
dogs  and  should  be  bastinadoed  if  we  went  in.  And 
when  we  were  walking  in  the  nave  after  the  prayers 
were  over,  a  little  boy  walked  resolutely  up  and  spat 
on  my  umbrella  with  a  face  of  righteous  self-approba- 
tion tempered  by  alarm  at  his  audacity. 

The  bazaars  at  Constantinople  are  not  as  interesting 
as  in  some  other  Eastern  cities.  The  bazaar  for  arms 
and  other  valuables  is  separate  from  the  rest,  and  kept 
under  lock  and  key.  While  we  were  bargaining  at  a 
stall  for  a  blade  which  my  companion  wished  to  buy, 
the  Turk,  who  had  been  sitting  cross-legged  on  it 
playing  with  his  rosary  of  amber  beads,  suddenly  leapt 
to  his  feet  uttering  the  most  incoherent  exclamations, 


i8so]  THE  BOSPORUS  81 

dashed  down  on  our  guide,  whom  he  twisted  about, 
feeling  in  his  pockets  and  sleeves,  then  fell  upon  Lord 
Lothian  and  myself  in  like  manner.  He  had  lost  his 
beads,  and  supposed  that  we  had  stolen  them,  on 
understanding  which  our  indignant  astonishment  gave 
way  to  amusement,  the  sight  of  which  more  enraged  the 
angry  Turk.  A  great  crowd  of  Mussulmans  gathered 
round  us,  cursing  all  our  ancestors,  and  our  guide  gave 
us  to  understand  that  we  had  better  move  on,  as  it 
was  hardly  safe  to  remain.  We  walked  to  another 
part  of  the  bazaar,  where  our  Turk  presently  followed 
us  with  the  blade,  and  offered  it  for  sale  in  a  crest- 
fallen manner,  having  meantime  found  his  beads. 

Sir  Stratford  Canning — afterwards  Lord  Stratford 
de  Redcliffe — was  our  Ambassador  at  Constantinople, 
'  bear-leader  of  the  Turk/  as  E.  A.  Freeman  expressed 
it.  He  was  at  the  time  living  at  Therapia,  the  summer 
residence  of  the  Ambassadors,  which  is  much  cooler 
than  the  city,  as  it  lies  northwards  towards  the  Euxine 
Sea.  In  visiting  him  and  Lady  Canning,  we  sailed  up 
the  Bosporus,  which  is  more  like  a  noble  river,  blue 
and  rapid,  running  down  from  the  sea,  than  an  arm  of 
the  sea  itself.  The  current  is  accompanied  by  a  north 
wind,  so  that  it  is  much  easier  to  descend  than  to 
ascend  it.  From  Therapia  we  could  look  straight  up 
to  the  Black  Sea,  over  which  a  misty  vapour  was 
hanging.  The  hills  on  each  side  of  the  Bosporus  are 
soft  and  pretty,  but  somewhat  tame. 

The  Dardanelles  are  of  the  same  character,  but  still 
tamer.  Here  we  were  the  guests  of  the  Consul,  F.  W. 
Calvert,  and  it  had  been  our  intention  to  take  a  boat 
to  Mount  Athos,  but  a  return  of  my  malarial  fever 
made  it  necessary  for  me  to  take  a  steamer  to  Trieste, 
which  carried  us  by  Troy,  Tenedos,  Mitylene,  Smyrna, 
Syros,  Cythera  (Cerigo),  Pylos  (Navarino),  Zante, 
Corfu,  Meleda,  to  Trieste,  whence  we  went  at  once  to 
the  Caves  of  Adelsberg.  These  caves  have  a  singular 

6 


82  THE  CAVES  OF  ADELSBERG         [1850 

charm.  They  extend  two  or  three  miles  underground, 
for  the  most  part  like  a  vast  gallery  decorated  by  sta- 
lactites and  stalagmites  of  fantastic  shapes,  and  occa- 
sionally opening  from  the  gallery  into  large  halls  on 
either  side,  similarly  ornamented.  A  stream  flows 
through  them,  in  which  the  fish  have  lost  their  eyesight 
from  disuse.  It  took  us  about  three  hours  to  explore 
the  grotto,  and  the  refreshing  coolness  of  the  under- 
ground air  took  awa}^  the  remains  of  my  malarial  fever, 
which  did  not  return  again. 

From  Vienna,  which  we  reached  by  railway  from 
Trieste,  we  steamed  up  the  Danube  to  Lintz,  and 
thence  on  to  Gmunden,  Ischl,  Salzburg,  and  Hallein. 
After  Italy  and  Greece,  this  is  the  most  beautiful  part 
of  Europe,  but  it  has  not  the  associations  of  Italy  and 
Greece.  At  Hallein  we  visited  a  singular  salt-mine. 
We  made  our  entrance  into  it  at  the  top  of  a  high  hill. 
After  walking  a  little  way,  we  reached  a  steep  shoot, 
down  which  we  slid,  holding  by  a  rope  to  steady  our- 
selves; then  another  walk  and  slide,  and  another. 
About  halfway  down  in  the  bowels  of  the  hill  there 
was  a  large  artificial  lake  lighted  by  glimmering  lamps 
round  its  edge,  which  we  crossed  in  a  ghostly  boat ; 
then  more  walks  and  slides,  till  we  reached  the  bottom 
of  the  hill,  where  the  exit  of  the  mine  was.  The  salt 
appeared  to  be  first  absorbed  by  water,  which  was 
then  carried  by  pipes  elsewhere  and  evaporated, 
leaving  the  salt  behind  it. 

Having  returned  to  Trieste,  we  proceeded  via  Venice, 
Padua,  Verona,  Milan,  to  Monza  (where  we  saw  the 
iron  crown  of  Lombardy,  and  also  General  Radetzky, 
who,  with  Jellachich,  saved  the  Austrian  Empire  in  the 
year  of  revolutions,  and  was  now  keeping  down  North 
Italy  under  Austrian  rule  by  military  force),  thence 
by  Como,  Lucerne,  Cologne,  Ostend  to  Dover. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Graduate  life  at  Oxford — Lord  Salisbury — Dean  Mansel — Professor 
Mozley— Dean  Burgon— B.  Jowett— M.  Pattison— Bishop  Jacob- 
son— W.  Sewell— Cobden— Max  Miiller. 

MY  first  occupation  on  reaching  England  was  to  vote 
in  the  election  of  the  President  of  Trinity  College, 
Oxford,  Dr.  Ingram  having  died  while  I  was  in  Swit- 
zerland. There  were  two  candidates  :  Thomas  Legh 
Claughton,  for  whom  the  junior  Fellows  voted ;  and 
Dr.  Wilson,  who  was  the  candidate  of  the  senior 
Fellows.  We  were  equally  divided,  when  at  the  last 
moment  the  oldest  member  of  our  body  unexpectedly 
appeared,  and  turned  the  scale  in  favour  of  Dr.  Wilson. 

T.  L.  Claughton,  formerly  scholar  of  Trinity,  had 
married  Lady  Ward's  daughter,  and  was  at  this  time 
Rector  of  Kidderminster,  in  the  working  of  which 
parish  he  had  been  so  successful  that  many  young  men 
offered  themselves  as  his  curates  without  salary,  that 
they  might  learn  his  system.  He  was  Professor  of 
Poetry  at  Oxford,  and  it  fell  to  him  to  write  the  In- 
stallation Ode  when  Lord  Derby  became  Chancellor 
of  the  University.  He  was  appointed  Bishop  of 
Rochester,  and,  when  the  diocese  was  divided,  he 
passed  to  St.  Albans.  He  was  a  man  of  great  geniality 
as  well  as  piety,  with  a  singular  charm  of  manner,  and 
it  was  characteristic  of  him  that  when,  years  after- 
wards, he  confirmed  my  eldest  son,  he  spoke  kindly 
to  him  after  the  service,  as  the  son  of  an  old  friend. 

In  October,  1850,  Lord  Lothian  came  into  residence 

83  6—2 


84  OXFORD  AND  HATFIELD        [1851-59 

at  Christ  Church,  and,  as  I  was  still  his  tutor,  I  made 
acquaintance  with  most  of  his  associates  and  friends. 
The  first  among  these  was  Lord  Robert  Cecil  (Lord 
Salisbury).  He  was  rather  senior  to  Lord  Lothian, 
and  having  taken  his  B.A.  degree,  became  a  Fellow  of 
All  Souls.  By  his  father's  advice  he  had  not  gone  up 
for  a  class,  but  he  was  recognised  as  the  ablest  of  his 
contemporaries,  and  when  lists  of  future  Ministers 
were  made  by  us,  after  the  way  of  young  men,  he  was 
always  put  in  the  first  place  as  Prime  Minister;  Lord 
Lothian  was  to  be  the  future  Foreign  Secretary  (as 
he  would  have  been  but  for  his  failure  of  health) ;  Lord 
Carnarvon,  Colonial  Secretary;  Lord  Harrowby,  Home 
Secretary ;  F.  Lygon  (Lord  Beauchamp)  was  also  to 
hold  office;  and  Charles  H.  Alderson  (son  of  Baron 
Alderson,  afterwards  one  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Com- 
missioners, and  now  Sir  Charles  Alderson)  was  to 
be  Lord  Chancellor.  It  was  an  idle  exercise  of  the 
imagination,  but  it  showed  how  much  was  thought  of 
the  capacity  of  Lord  Robert  Cecil.  He  himself  had  an 
anticipation  of  the  future.  I  was  sitting  with  him  on 
the  terrace  of  Hatfield  House,  when  we  saw  the  late 
Lord  Derby  (Lord  Stanley)  coming  towards  us.  '  Here,' 
said  Cecil,  looking  through  his  half-closed  eyes  (a  trick 
he  had) — '  here  comes  the  future  leader  of  the  Con- 
servative party.'  '  Not,'  I  said,  *  if  Bright's  saying 
about  him  is  true  '  (*  A  very  promising  young  man : 
he  hates  the  Bishops  and  despises  his  father — very 
promising !').  *  Ah,'  said  Cecil,  '  but  he  is  his  father's 
son.'  Lord  Stanley's  rivalry,  however,  never  turned 
out  to  be  a  serious  cause  of  dread.  Cecil  having  gone 
into  the  house,  I  took  a  walk  with  Lord  Stanley,  in  the 
course  of  which  he  spoke  very  earnestly  on  Church 
rates,  on  which  he  had  just  published  a  pamphlet,  and 
on  the  law  of  entail,  which  he  thought  should  not 
allow  anyone  to  settle  his  estates  for  more  than  one 
generation. 


i853]  LORD  ROBERT  CECIL  85 

Lord  Robert  Cecil  while  at  Oxford  occasionally 
joined  in  the  debates  of  the  Union  Society,  taking  the 
strong  Tory  side,  and  speaking  sometimes  with  a 
young  man's  vehemence.  I  recollect  his  declaiming 
that  Sir  Robert  Peel,  for  breaking  up  the  Conservative 
party,  should  be  left  to  lie  in  the  grave  of  infamy 
which  his  tergiversation  had  dug.  But  that  was  not 
an  example  of  his  usual  style. 

There  were  two  or  three  things  that  brought  me 
and  Cecil  together  for  some  years.  One  was  that  we 
were  both  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  same 
persons ;  another,  that  he  took  a  keen  interest  in  a 
series  of  letters  that  passed  between  myself  and 
Cardinal  Manning  on  the  moral  theology  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  (especially  the  theories  of  truthful- 
ness and  honesty),  which  arose  out  of  a  discussion  in 
which  he  had  taken  part.  The  following  are  criticisms 
that  he  made  on  the  correspondence : 

*  September  14,  1853. 

*  MY  DEAR  MEYRICK, — I  am  very  much  obliged  to 
you  for  the  loan  of  your  letter,  as  the  perusal  has 
been  very  interesting  to  me.  You  have  smashed 
Manning  thoroughly,  but,  after  all,  it  is  breaking  a  fly 
upon  the  wheel.  It  is  marvellous  that  a  man  of  his 
talent  and,  I  presume,  sincerity  should  argue  in  such 
a  fashion.  The  theory  he  tries  to  put  into  Liguori's 
mouth  is  almost  as  bad  as  the  actual  reality.  Un- 
doubtedly, the  amount  stolen  is  a  gauge  of  the  evil 
intent,  if  the  thief  has  a  perfect  and  thorough  "  adver- 
tence "  of  the  difference  of  the  injury  inflicted  by  a 
theft  of  55.  and  a  theft  of  55.  6d.  But  that  is  a  dis- 
tinction calculated  only  for  an  ideal  race  of  thieves, 
who,  before  they  steal,  carefully  collect  the  statistics  of 
their  victims'  fortune  and  their  booty's  value,  and  then 
sit  down  and  make  an  elaborate  calculation  of  the 


86  OXFORD  [1851-59 

exact  extent  of  the  injury  they  are  about  to  inflict.     It 
is  too  ludicrous.' 

'May,  1854. 

'  I  think  I  can  see  what  Manning  means  by  his 
shuffling  about  gravitas  materice  not  by  itself  con- 
stituting the  test  of  a  crime's  heinousness  or  mor- 
talness  —  viz.,  that  though  theoretically  it  is  a  dis- 
tinct element  of  guilt,  and  that  therefore,  by  the 
hypothesis,  its  presence  or  absence  would  make  the 
distinction  between  mortal  and  venial  sin ;  yet  that,  as 
a  fact,  advertentia  always  varies  precisely  as  gravitas — 
the  hue  of  mental  contempt  of  God  always  corresponds 
exactly  to  the  degree  of  actual  objective  injury — and 
that  therefore  gravitas  never  can  vary  from  55.  to 
55.  6d.  without  advertentia  varying  too,  and  there- 
fore the  hue  of  guilt  can  never  be  determined  by  facts 
purely  external  to  the  mind  of  the  culprit.  Of  course 
this  involves  a  Utopian  race  of  accurately  calculating 
thieves,  who  never  deceive  themselves  or  are  deceived. 
But  the  theory  hangs  together.' 

1 June  14,  1854. 

1 1  agree,  of  course,  that  my  view  involves  a  charge 
of  inaccuracy  ~of  apprehension  against  him,  or  of  in- 
accuracy of  expression  against  those  whom  he  is  back- 
ing ;  but  it  seemed  to  me  the  only  one  that  in  charity 
could  be  put  together  to  save  him  from  the  accusation 
of  hopeless  muddleness  of  mind.' 

1 January  24,  1855. 

*  I  heard  to-day  a  thing  which  I  ought  to  tell  you 
as  a  set-off  to  all  the  attacks  you  have  suffered  in  re 
Liguori.  The  Bishop  of  Oxford  [Samuel  Wilberforce] 
told  Miss  Alderson  that  your  articles  [on  "  Truth- 
fulness and  Theft "]  "  had  done  more  to  delay  the 
Archdeacon's  [Robert  Isaac  Wilberforce's]  secession 
almost  than  anything."  What  is  true  of  one  must  be 
true  of  many.' 


i854l  LORD  ROBERT  CECIL  87 

Another  thing  that  brought  Lord  Robert  Cecil  and 
myself  together  at  this  time  was  the  Oxford  University 
Reform  Bill.  The  Bill  had  been  introduced  mainly  to 
alter  the  government  of  the  University  by  abolishing 
the  oligarchy  of  the  Hebdomadal  Board,  which  held 
the  initiative  in  University  legislation,  and  consisted 
solely  of  the  heads  of  colleges  and  halls.  In  its  later 
stages  Mr.  Heywood  carried  some  clauses  opening  the 
University  and  colleges  to  Dissenters,  and  so  alter- 
ing, not  only  its  constitution,  but  its  character.  On 
June  26,  1854,  there  met  in  my  rooms  at  Trinity 
College  Charles  Marriott  of  Oriel,  H.  A.  Woodgate  of 
St.  John's,  and  Lord  Robert  Cecil  of  All  Souls,  and 
we  determined  on  a  petition  of  the  residents  at  Oxford 
against  the  admission  of  Dissenters.  Four  days  later 
Marriott  of  Oriel,  Mozley  of  Magdalen,  Shadforth  of 
University,  Rawlinson  of  Exeter,  and  Pritchard  of 
Balliol,  met  in  my  rooms,  and  we  determined  on  a 
non-resident  petition  also.  The  following  are  ex- 
tracts from  letters  of  Lord  Robert  Cecil  referring  to 
the  Bill : 

1  As  to  the  Bill,  I  quite  agree  in  your  view  of  its 
blots.  .  .  .  You  will  already  have  got  my  list  of  times 
of  second  reading,  etc.  Whether  Lord  Derby  will 
support  the  petition  or  not,  it  seems  to  me  that  it 
would  clearly  be  a  slight,  and  most  impolitic,  to  present 
it  through  anyone  but  him.  Except  with  his  aid,  you 
have  no  chance  of  carrying  the  petition.  I  understand 
that  he  expresses  himself  indifferent  on  the  subject, 
so  possibly  the  petition  may  have  the  effect  of  helping 
to  decide  him.  ...  I  have  done  as  you  bid  me.  I 
gave  Lord  Derby  the  paper  this  afternoon,  and  he 
promised  to  consider  of  it.  ...  I  saw  Lord  Derby 
last  night,  and  he  told  me  he  had  written  to  the  Vice- 
Chancellor,  suggesting  your  plan  and  pressing  very 
strongly  on  him  not  to  make  any  proposal  that  was 
likely  to  be  rejected  by  Convocation,  as  it  would 


88  OXFORD  [1851-59 

materially  injure  the  University's  case  in  Parliament. 
I  hope  that  it  is  not  too  late.' 

On  July  7, 1854,  the  Bill  passed  its  second  reading  in 
the  House  of  Lords. 

On   my   appointment   as   Preacher   at   the    Chapel 
Royal,  Whitehall,  I  wrote  to  Lord  Robert  Cecil  for 
information  as  to  the  congregation.     He  replied :  *  I 
never  was  at  Whitehall  Chapel  myself,  but  I  under- 
stand that  the  congregation  is  aristocratic,  official,  and 
M.P.-ish,  the  last  two  elements  preponderating.  Sewell 
tried   the   experiment  of  preaching  to  them   on  the 
morality  of  politics,  but  he  only  succeeded  in  disgust- 
ing them.     It  don't  pay.     Most  of  the   world  won't 
stand  the  spiritual  power  invading  the  secular  pro- 
vince, and  in  that  repugnance  I  think  they  bear  wit- 
ness to  a  great  truth.    If  you  are  really  inclined  to  stir 
them  up,  keep  up  a  vigorous  fire  on  ambition  and  love 
of  men's  praise.     It  is  a  doctrine  of  which  they  hear 
little  enough.     We  have  not  got  thoroughly  out  of  the 
old  Jewish  notion  of  parading  the  temporal  rewards  of 
doing  one's  duty.'    I  took  for  my  subject  '  The  Outcast 
and  Poor  of  London,'  which  in  1855  had  not  become  a 
popular  and  favourite  topic,  as  it  has  done  since  that 
time. 

The  cordial  relations  between  Lord  Robert  Cecil 
and  myself  were  not  to  last.  His  marriage  and  my 
marriage  made  a  great  difference,  but  the  coup  de  grace 
was  given  to  them  by  my  voting  for  Gladstone  as 
member  for  the  University  of  Oxford  in  1865.  The 
following  letter  is  very  different  in  tone  from  the 
letters  that  had  preceded  it,  and  was  my  last  letter 
from  Lord  Robert  Cecil  : 

'  I  was  very  sorry  to  hear  of  your  decision.  The 
conflict  is  not  one  of  men,  but  of  principles.  If  your 
adhesion  should  fail  to  bring  Gladstone  in,  of  course 
you  may  have  no  cause  to  regret  your  vote.  But  if 


i865]  LORD  ROBERT  CECIL  89 

you  should  be  successful  in  giving  the  sanction  of  the 
University  to  the  statesman  who  has  avowed  his  in- 
tention of  pulling  down  the  Irish  Church,  I  think  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  you  will  regret  your  vote 
very  much.  The  position  of  us  Conservative  Church- 
men in  Parliament  is  disheartening  enough.  We  fight 
the  battle  of  the  Church  for  six  years  to  the  best  of 
our  ability,  getting  the  strength  of  the  Conservative 
party  to  be  employed  in  her  behalf;  at  the  end  of  that 
time  we  go  to  the  great  Church  constituency  to  give 
us  the  sanction  of  its  authority.  We  are  disavowed, 
and  the  seal  of  the  University  approval  is  placed  upon 
the  acts  of  the  statesman  who  has  just  declared  war 
against  one -half  of  the  Established  Church  upon 
principles  that  will  destroy  the  whole  of  it.  Do  you 
think  that  such  a  state  of  things  is  likely  to  warm  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  party  which  alone  can  protect  the 
Established  Church  ? 

*  Ever  yours  truly, 

1  ROBERT  G.  CECIL.' 

Of  the  contemporaries  of  Lord  Lothian  at  Christ 
Church,  I  saw  most  of  F.  Lygon  (Lord  Beauchamp). 
Lygon  was  a  man  of  very  strong  will,  stronger  than 
his  judgment,  who  took  a  deep  interest  in  Church 
matters.  I  was  associated  with  him  at  the  Union 
Society,  in  which  I  held  successively  the  offices  of 
secretary,  treasurer,  and  president,  and  we  were 
secretaries  of  the  Oxford  Architectural  Society  to- 
gether. After  taking  his  degree,  he  was  elected  a 
Fellow  of  All  Souls,  and  as  long  as  he  resided  we 
breakfasted  together  once  a  week.  At  a  later  period 
he  took  a  great  interest  in  the  new  Lectionary  of 
1871,  and  in  everything  that  affected  the  welfare  of 
the  Church.  He  gave  me  Thomas  Aquinas'  Summa 
Theologize,  which  indicated  his  tastes.  In  1890  I  spent 
a  few  days  with  him  at  his  beautiful  place  near 
Malvern — Madresfield  Court. 


90  OXFORD  [1851-59 

Of  elder  men,  my  chief  associates  out  of  my  own 
college  were  H.  L.  Mansel,  afterwards  Dean  of  St. 
Paul's,  at  this  time  Fellow  of  St.  John's  College ; 
Charles  Marriott,  Fellow  of  Oriel;  James  B.  Mozley, 
Fellow  of  Magdalen ;  and  J.  W.  Burgon,  Fellow  of 
Oriel.  Mansel  was  a  short,  bullet-headed  man,  who 
was  not  at  first  known  beyond  his  college  walls, 
except  as  an  excellent  private  tutor  in  logic  and  ethics. 
Somewhat  suddenly  he  came  forward  in  the  University, 
which  found  that  it  had  in  him  a  metaphysician  and 
philosopher  of  first-rate  ability.  For  years  he  had 
been  studying  German  theology  and  philosophy,  and 
now  he  showed  himself  their  uncompromising  oppo- 
nent and  antagonist,  capable  of  meeting  them  in 
argument,  and  of  enlivening  his  arguments  by  a  wit 
which  is  not  always  the  property  of  a  philosopher. 

His  Bampton  Lectures  took  the  University  by 
storm.  They  were  entitled  The  Limits  of  Religious 
Thought,  and  dealt  with  very  abstruse  subjects  in 
language  which,  though  wonderfully  clear,  required 
some  familiarity  with  philosophical  terms  to  be  fully 
apprehended.  Nevertheless,  they  were  attended  by 
crowds  of  hearers,  not  only  by  Masters  of  Arts,  or  even 
undergraduates ;  but  townsfolk  and  college  scouts 
stood  in  the  aisles  to  hear  them.  This  was  partly 
because  of  the  reputation  of  the  preacher,  who  was 
now  Reader  in  Moral  and  Metaphysical  Philosophy 
at  Magdalen  College,  partly  because  it  was  felt  by  the 
more  thoughtful  members  of  the  University  that  the 
subject  which  he  had  selected  was  vital  to  Christianity 
in  its  struggle  with  rationalism,  and  that  it  was  in 
good  hands.  Rationalism,  sometimes  calling  itself 
idealism,  sometimes  criticism,  professes  to  decide, 
independently  of  all  external  revelation,  what  is 
the  true  nature  of  God,  and  the  manner  in  which 
He  must  manifest  Himself  to  the  world  ;  and  it  claims 
authoritatively  to  determine,  by  the  unerring  judg- 


1851-59]  DEAN  MANSEL  91 

ment  of  a  faculty  termed  reason  or  moral  sense,  or 
some  similar  title,  whether  an  alleged  revelation,  or 
any   parts   of  it,    are   true   or   false.     Mansel   proves 
that  no  such  faculty  exists.     We  are  unable  to  grasp 
and  comprehend  the  nature  of  a  Being  who  is  at  once 
Absolute,  Infinite,  and  First  Cause.     These  attributes 
cannot  be  reconciled  by  us ;  they  appear  to  our  minds 
to  involve  contradictions  :  not  that  they  are  contradic- 
tory, but  that  we  cannot  reconcile  them.     Thus,  the 
nature  of  God  is  beyond  the  limits  of  logical  thought. 
But  it  is  not  beyond   the   limits  of  religious   belief. 
The  spheres  of  logical  thought  and  of  belief  are  not 
conterminous,   for  we  can   believe   that   which  tran- 
scends thought,  on  the  supposition  that  the  difficulties 
which  present  themselves  may  be  accounted  for  by 
the   limitation  of  our  faculties  of  apprehension   and 
conception,  not  by  an  inherent  impossibility  of  their 
being  removed,  seeing  that  they  may  be  (and  doubtless 
are)  non-existent  to  higher  intelligences.     In  this  case 
our  wisdom  is  to  accept  what  is  revealed,  acquiescing 
in   our   present  ignorance  of  many  things ;   and   our 
reasoning  powers  should  rather  be  exercised  on  the 
evidence   of  a  revelation   than    on    its    subject    and 
contents.      Mansel's    charge    into    the   ranks   of   the 
rationalists  was  very  effective,  because  in  combating 
them  he  used  their  own  weapon,  philosophy ;  and  the 
orthodox    party  felt    comforted    at    the    first    meta- 
physician in  the  University  being  on  their  side. 

Mansel  was  by  no  means  a  bookworm,  though  his 
memory  was  stored  with  the  results  of  much  reading. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  the  business  of  the  Univer- 
sity on  the  Conservative  side,  both  in  the  Tutors' 
Association — which  was  formed  for  the  consideration 
of  the  changes  proposed  by  the  Oxford  Commission — 
and  afterwards  in  the  newly  constituted  Hebdomadal 
Council,  or  governing  body  of  the  University,  to 
which  he  was  at  once  elected.  His  quick  wit  made 


92  OXFORD  [1851-59 

him  very  popular  socially.  He  delighted  in  good  and 
clever  jests,  which  seemed  to  come  bubbling  from  him 
spontaneously,  and  he  could  not  refrain  from  puns, 
good  or  bad.  He  loved  to  throw  a  joke  into  the  form 
of  Latin  or  English  verse.  Some  of  these  jeux  d }  esprit 
were  hardly  intelligible  except  to  University  men,  but 
to  them  they  were  delicious — e.g.,  the  application  of 
the  then  well-known  lines  of  Aldrich  (whose  manual 
of  logic  was  at  that  time  universally  studied),  relating 
to  logical  moods  called  'subaltern'  and  'general/  to 
the  alleged  promotion  of  some  young  officers  on  no 
other  grounds  than  their  relationship  to  senior  officers, 
regarding  which  the  newspapers  were  storming.  '  It 
is  a  case/  said  Mansel,  '  of 

*  Quinque  subalterni,  totidem  generalibus  orti, 
Nomen  habent  nullum,  nee,  si  bene  colligis,  usum.' 

That  is,  '  Five  subaltern  moods,  springing  from  an 
equal  number  of  general  moods,  have  no  name  or  use 
if  you  argue  rightly.'  But  the  words  will  equally  well 
bear  the  translation :  '  Five  subalterns,  sons  of  as 
many  generals,  have  no  name  (reputation)  and  are  of 
no  use,  if  you  come  to  a  right  conclusion/ 

Again,  when  it  was  proposed  in  the  Hebdomadal 
Council  to  allow  a  man  to  qualify  for  his  doctor's 
degree  by  merely  writing  two  essays,  Mansel  scribbled 
down  and  handed  to  us  (as  Proctor  I  was  member  of 
the  Council  at  the  time)  the  doggerel : 

'  The  degree  of  D.D. 
'Tis  proposed  to  convey 
To  an  A  double  S 
By  a  double  S.A.  (essay).' 

Mansel  was  appointed  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical 
History  by  Lord  Derby,  and  two  years  later  Dean  of 
St.  Paul's  by  Disraeli.  Unhappily,  his  health  broke 
down,  and  a  most  valuable  career  came  too  quickly 


i85i-S9]  CHARLES  MARRIOTT  93 

to  an  end  when  he  was  but  fifty-one.  He  loved  his 
University,  and  left  behind  him  a  declaration  of  *  his 
deep-rooted  and  increasing  conviction  that  sound 
religious  philosophy  will  flourish  or  fade  within  her 
walls  according  as  she  perseveres  or  neglects  to  study 
the  works  and  cultivate  the  spirit  of  her  great  son  and 
teacher,  Bishop  Butler.' 

Oxford  allowed  a  band  of  hostile  examiners,  headed 
by  Mr.  Mark  Pattison,  to  strike  Butler's  works  from 
the  list  of  standard  books  appointed  for  the  final 
examination  in  the  University,  whereby  they  deter- 
mined that  he  should  no  longer  be  studied  as  of  yore. 
Nor  has  Butler  been  restored  to  the  place  of  honour 
which  he  held,  and  which  he  ought  to  hold,  by  the 
side  of  Aristotle,  Plato,  and  Bacon.  And  Mansel's 
prediction  has  been  verified. 

Charles  Marriott,  Fellow  of  Oriel,  came  to  the 
help  of  Dr.  Pusey  when  the  latter  was  deserted  by 
Newman,  and  left  more  or  less  lonely.  He  acted  as 
his  lieutenant,  and  did  an  immense  amount  of  work, 
which  made  no  show  and  brought  no  name  to  himself, 
such  as  editing  some  volumes  of  the  *  Library  of  the 
Fathers,'  which  was  done  with  consummate  care.  In 
addition  to  his  literary  work,  he  took  pains  to  break 
down  the  barriers  between  *  Dons'  and  undergraduates, 
which  he  thought  to  be  a  great  evil  to  both.  With 
this  end,  he  asked  such  freshmen  and  undergraduates 
as  he  made  acquaintance  with  to  walk  with  him,  and  to 
breakfast,  and  to  evening  receptions  in  the  common- 
room.  But  he  was  wanting  in  some  of  the  qualifica- 
tions for  success  in  these  attempts.  He  was  singularly 
silent,  and  could  not  suggest  topics  of  conversation 
to  his  young  friends ;  while  they  were,  for  the  most 
part,  too  awestruck  to  bring  any  forward  themselves. 
I  have  walked  with  him  for  two  hours,  as  an  under- 
graduate, without  a  word  passing  between  us,  and 
this  was  the  character  of  all  his  walks  of  the  same 


94  OXFORD  [1851-59 

kind.  He  would  sometimes  apologize  on  the  ground 
that  he  was  '  deficient  in  imagination,'  but  we  used 
to  think  that  his  mind  was  running  on  the  literary 
work  in  which  he  had  been  engaged  in  the  morning. 
We  liked  to  walk  with  him  in  spite  of  his  muteness, 
knowing  the  great  kindness  of  his  heart. 

His  breakfasts  (charmingly  described  in  Burgon's 
Twelve  Good  Men)  were  still  more  singular.  He  would 
ask  any  whose  names  suggested  themselves,  and  then 
he  would  invite  any  whom  he  chanced  to  meet,  not 
counting  heads.  Consequently  the  table  was  laid  for, 
say,  twelve,  and  sixteen  would  arrive.  The  breakfast- 
table  being  full,  Marriott  would  clear  a  space  on  his 
writing-table,  tossing  books  and  papers  on  the  sofa, 
and  having  a  new  cloth  laid  and  more  breakfast 
ordered.  When  that  difficulty  was  got  over,  there  was 
the  further  difficulty  of  conversation,  unless  there  was 
someone  to  lead  it.  I  recollect  the  satisfaction  that 
I  felt  on  one  occasion,  when  Marriott  had  swept  in 
Bishop  Charles  Harris  of  Gibraltar,  who  I  knew  would 
talk.  And  yet  we  all  liked  to  come,  and  we  never 
laughed  at  him,  for  we  knew  that  he  was  a  first-class 
man  in  Classics — a  thing  which  goes  a  long  way  with 
undergraduates — and  we  were  assured  that  in  any 
perplexity  or  trouble  there  would  be  no  kinder 
counsellor.  In  his  common-room  parties,  held  for 
making  acquaintances  between  younger  and  older 
men,  he  did  not  say  much  more  than  '  How  do  you 
do?'  to  each  person,  but  this  was  valued.  In  1850 
C.  Marriott  succeeded  C.  P.  Eden  as  Vicar  of  St. 
Mary's,  the  well-known  University  church,  where 
Eden  had  succeeded  Newman  in  1843,  and  he  soon 
won  the  love  of  his  parishioners.  In  1855  he  had  a 
stroke  of  paralysis  after  walking  back  from  Radley, 
and  in  1858  he  died.  He  was  cousin  of  my  friend  and 
contemporary,  Wharton  B.  Marriottt. 

James  B.  Mozley,  Fellow  of  Magdalen  College,  often 


i85i-59]     PROFESSOR  JAMES  MOZLEY  9$ 

confused  with  his  brother,  Tom  Mozley,  was  one  of 
the  most   thoughtful   men   in   Oxford.      Two  of  his 
brothers  were  married  to  two  of  Newman's  sisters, 
and  he  therefore  naturally  came  up  to  the  University 
(where  he  matriculated   at  Oriel)  in  sympathy  with 
Newman's  views.     When,  however,  Newman  deserted 
the  Church  of  England,  Mozley  did  not  hesitate  as  to 
the  line  that  he  should  adopt :  '  So  now  he  has  come 
to  a  point  where  I  cannot  follow  him.     But  I  cannot 
help  that.     No  one,  of  course,  can  prophesy  the  course 
of  his  own  mind,  but  I  feel  at  present  [1845]  that  I 
could  no  more  leave  the  Church  of  England  than  I 
could  fly.     What  the  upshot  of  this  is  to  be  we  have 
yet  to  see.     We  are  in  the  struggle.     One's  spiritual 
home  is  a  stormy  and  unsettled  one ;  but,  still,  it  is 
one's  home;  at  least,  it  is  mine'  (Letters,  p.  168).     His 
steadfast  affection  to  the  Church  of  England  arose  to  a 
great  extent  from  the  love  that  he  bore  (like  Keble)  to 
Charles  I.,  Andrewes,  Laud,  and  the  Caroline  divines. 
Speaking  of  one  of  the  first  deserters  to  Rome,  he 
said :   '  He  never  cared   much   about   the   Church  of 
England.     All  his  very  youthful  days  he  was  a  Liberal, 
afterwards  he  altered  in  deference  to  Newman  and 
Froude ;  but  he  never  had  any  feeling  for  the  Church. 
He  never  cared  about  her  best  men  nor  her  interest- 
ing periods.     He  never  cared  a  jot  for  Charles  I.,  or 
Laud,  and  all  the  rest  of  them.     He  has  not,  and  never 
had,  any  historical,  poetical,  or  romantic  associations 
connected  with  her'  (ibid.,  p.  147).     The  article  in  the 
Christian  Remembrancer  on   Newman's   secession  fell 
to  Mozley  to  write,  and  its  tone  was  firm  and  decisive: 
4 1  expect  it  will  annoy  some  people,  but  the  fact  is 
not  to  be  avoided  that  a  new  relation  is  begun  between 
Newman  and  the  English  Church,  and  someone  must 
be  the  person  to  express  that  new  relation.     I  have 
had  the  office,  and  a  most  disagreeable  one  it  has  been ; 
but  I  feel  strongly  that,  staying  in  the  English  Church 


96  OXFORD  [1851-59 

as  I  do,  I  stayed  to  support  her,  and  not  to  give  her 
up,  or  to  stand  loosely  by  her'  (ibid.,  p.  173). 

Mozley  was  co-editor  with  Mr.  Scott  of  Hoxton  of 
the  Christian  Remembrancer,  to  which,  at  his  request,  I 
made  several  contributions.  The  Christian  Remem- 
brancer at  this  time  was  the  organ  of  the  Oxford  party, 
but  when  Mozley  found  that  he  differed  from  most 
of  his  friends  at  the  time  of  the  Gorham  judgment, 
with  respect  to  the  effect  of  Baptism,  he  resigned  the 
editorship.  In  1855  he  wrote  his  great  work  on 
Predestination,  the  ablest  and  most  philosophical  book 
on  that  mysterious  subject  that  has  ever  been  written. 
The  following  year  he  accepted  the  college  living  of 
Old  Shoreham,  whence  he  was  recalled  by  Mr.  Glad- 
stone to  Oxford  to  fill  the  post  of  Regius  Professor 
of  Divinity  in  1861.  There  he  did  good  work  in  behalf 
of  the  Christian  faith  by  sermons  and  lectures,  whose 
reputation  is  still  growing.  He  died  in  1878. 

J.  W.  Burgon,  born  at  Smyrna,  became,  after  taking 
his  degree,  a  Fellow  of  Oriel  College.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  piety,  learning,  courage,  and  unselfishness, 
and  he  combined  in  a  most  singular  manner  simplicity 
with  shrewdness,  gentleness  with  violence,  impressive- 
ness  with  grotesqueness,  impulsiveness  with  resolu- 
tion. He  had  a  host  of  adversaries;  those  that  did 
not  know  him  personally  hated  him  for  the  unsparing 
way  in  which  he  called  a  spade  a  spade ;  but  friends 
and  opponents  alike,  who  knew  him  well,  loved  him. 
The  work  of  his  life  was  defensive — defensive  of  his 
University,  of  his  Church,  and  of  the  Christian  revela- 
tion. The  University  was  at  the  time  a  Church 
institution,  where  the  teachers  were  clergy,  and  the 
young  men  who  were  intended  for  the  ministry  were 
taught  and  trained  together  with  the  future  squire- 
archy. In  consequence  of  the  misdirection  of  the 
Tractarian  Movement,  Oxford  bore  an  ill-repute,  and 
the  adversaries  of  the  Church  took  advantage  of 


1851-59]  DEAN  BURGON  97 

this  existing  ill-feeling  to  deprive  it  of  its  religious 
character.  This  was  done  finally  by  Lord  Coleridge's 
Universities'  Test  Act.  The  assailing  party  did  not 
see  that  their  success  would  necessarily  cause  the 
institution  of  the  diocesan  theological  colleges — which 
have  since  sprung  up — in  which  the  training  and 
teaching  would  be  of  a  far  less  liberal  and  manly 
type  than  that  which  used  to  be  supplied  by  the 
Universities,  while  young  men  at  the  Universities 
would  be  exposed  to  serious  risk  when  their  lectures 
were  given  them  by  men  who  might  be  agnostics  or 
rationalists  or  Romanists.  Burgon  fought  his  best 
for  the  retention  of  the  religious  and  Church  character 
of  Oxford,  but  in  vain.  In  the  last  Parliamentary 
Commission  (1876)  he  was  nominated  by  Lord  Salis- 
bury as  a  member,  in  order  to  represent  one  side 
of  University  opinion.  Mr.  Osborn  Morgan  and  Mr. 
Lowe  objected  to  him  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
and  Lord  Salisbury  unchivalrously  begged  Burgon 
to  withdraw  his  name.  *I  unconditionally  set  Lord 
Salisbury  free  to  act  in  any  way  he  pleases,'  wrote 
Burgon.  '  Far  be  it  from  me  to  embarrass  my  party, 
or  to  hesitate  about  jumping  overboard  in  order  ever 
so  little  to  lighten  the  ship.'  Mr.  Osborne  Gordon, 
late  Censor  of  Christ  Church,  was  appointed  in  his 
place — not  by  any  means  so  influential  a  personality. 
Dean  Goulburn,  recounting  the  event  in  his  Life  of 
Burgon^  speaks  of  it  as  *  creditable  to  himself,  as 
showing  the  equanimity  with  which  he  submitted  to 
what  must  have  been,  to  one  who  loved  Oxford  as  he 
did,  a  very  keen  disappointment.'  He  adds  dryly : 
1  It  is  to  be  wished  that  it  was  equally  creditable  to 
the  Government'  (vol.  ii.,p.  136). 

Burgon's  loyalty  to  his  Church  was  shown  by  his 
serving  her  in  every  way  in  his  power,  and  in 
particular  by  resisting  the  Romeward  tendency  and 
Ritualistic  extravagances  which  grew  out  of  the 

7 


98  OXFORD  [1851-59 

break-up  of  the  Tractarian  party.  Against  these  he 
preached,  lectured,  declaimed,  taught,  and  argued. 
'  For/  says  Dean  Goulburn,  '  he  adhered  through- 
out his  life  to  the  views  that  the  Church  Move- 
ment, as  originated  by  the  primitive  Tractarians, 
had  nothing  in  common  with  that  efflorescence  of 
Ritual,  which  indeed  succeeded  it  historically,  but 
which  he  held  to  be  merely  its  running  to  seed  and 
degradation '  (p.  188).  '  In  the  second  sermon,  "  taking 
up  a  position  directly  hostile  to  many  of  my  personal 
friends,"  he  launches  out  with  his  usual  plain-speaking 
and  intrepidity  against  the  Romanizing  practices  and 
tenets  which  were  being  introduced  and  inculcated ; 
against  the  representing  Tradition  as  an  unwritten 
Word  of  co-ordinate  authority  with  the  written; 
against  Saint-worship  and  Mariolatry ;  against  en- 
forced Auricular  Confession ;  against  Transubstantia- 
tion  and  all  the  observances  and  ceremonials  which 
are  grouped  round  Transubstantiation,  such  as  the 
Vestments,  the  Eastward  Position,  Fasting  Com- 
munion, and  Non-communicating  Attendance,  as  well 
as  the  phraseologies  unknown  to  our  own  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  such  as  High  Mass  and  Low  Mass ; 
he  will  not  allow  of  a  localized  Presence ;  Christ  is 
present  in  the  heart,  not  in  the  hands,  according  to  the 
words  of  the  author's  last  edition  of  The  Christian 
Year — words  which  were  tampered  with  after  his 
death '  (ibid.,  p.  86).  When  Dean  Lake  and  others 
presented  to  the  Archbishop  an  address  in  favour  of 
toleration  of  Ritualistic  practices,  Burgon  published 
letters  to  the  Archbishop,  and  Dean  Gregory,  depre- 
cating 'a  proposal  that  indiscriminate  license  should 
henceforth  be  the  law  of  the  Church/  or  that '  a  clergy- 
man ought  to  be  at  liberty  to  violate  the  law,  provided 
only  that  his  congregation  will  go  along  with  him  in 
his  lawlessness/  which  was  'the  principle  of  the 
veriest  Congregationalism/ 


1851-591  DEAN  BURGON  99 

Burgon's  battle  for  Christianity  was  partly  defensive 
— partly  aggressive — defensive  of  God's  Word,  aggres- 
sive towards  rationalism.  Rationalism  was  already 
beginning  to  take  the  form  of  Biblical  criticism,  and 
his  method  of  opposing  it  was  to  devote  himself  to  the 
study  and  maintenance  of  the  text  of  Scripture  and 
of  the  truths  that  it  contains.  His  first  work  in  this 
sphere  was  his  vindication  of  the  genuineness  of  the 
last  twelve  verses  of  St.  Mark's  Gospel,  thrown  into 
the  form  of  two  dissertations  read  by  him  as  an  exer- 
cise in  taking  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity  in 
1871.  As  soon  as  the  Revised  Version  of  the  New 
Testament  was  published,  Burgon  made  a  fiery  and 
impetuous  attack  upon  it  in  the  Quarterly  Review, 
which,  being  supported  by  the  arguments  of  Scrivener 
and  Cook,  struck  a  blow  at  the  Revised  Version  from 
which  it  has  not  recovered ;  for  the  assailing  party 
showed  that  a  fundamental  error  was  adopted  by  the 
Revisers  which  has  vitiated  many  of  their  conclusions 
—namely,  that  the  authority  of  the  Vatican  and  Sinaitic 
codices  outweighs  that  of  all  the  other  MSS.,  when 
those  two  codices  agree,  which  they  naturally  do  most 
commonly,  as  they  are  contemporaneous,  and  are 
probably  two  of  the  MSS.  prepared  by  Eusebius  for 
Constantine.  For  twenty-five  years  Burgon  devoted 
himself  to  the  study  of  the  text  of  the  New  Testament. 
But  he  died  before  his  great  work  was  accomplished, 
and  it  has  not  seen  the  light.  In  his  last  illness  he 
begged  that  the  portfolios  containing  the  notes  and 
MSS.  for  this  work  might  be  brought  and  placed 
within  his  sight.  *  When  a  man  is  dying,'  he  said,  '  he 
wants  to  say  good-bye  to  his  favourite  child.'  In  1876 
Burgon  became  Dean  of  Chichester,  but  he  longed  to 
return  to  Oxford,  and  on  Mozley's  death  hoped  to  be 
appointed  Regius  Professor  of  Divinity,  that  he  might 
carry  on  the  teaching  and  training  of  young  men, 
which  he  had  begun  while  residing  at  Oriel,  as  Vicar 

7—2 

UN1VERS1 


ioo  OXFORD  [1851-59 

of  St.  Mary's,  in  which  post  he  had  succeeded  the 
Rev.  D.  P.  Chase,  who  followed  Charles  Marriott. 
At  his  death  he  left  ready  for  publication  The  Lives  of 
Tzvelve  Good  Men,  each  of  which  lives  is  the  model  of 
a  short  biography.  The  twelve  men  are  Dr.  Routh, 
Hugh  James  Rose,  Charles  Marriott,  Edward  Hawkins 
(Provost  of  Oriel),  Samuel  Wilberforce,  R.  L.  Cotton 
(Provost  of  Worcester),  Richard  Greswell,  H.  O.  Coxe 
(Bodleian  Librarian),  H.  L.  Mansel,  W.  Jacobson 
(Bishop  of  Chester),  C.  P.  Eden,  and  C.  L.  Higgins. 

Burgon  was  always  a  favourite  with  undergraduates. 
In  the  early  part  of  his  academic  life  he  became  Libra- 
rian of  the  Oxford  Union  Society.  It  is  the  office  of 
the  librarian  to  propose  the  books  that  are  to  be 
bought  by  the  society,  and  it  is  usual  for  him  to  put 
on  his  list  any  books  recommended  by  a  considerable 
number  of  members.  Dean  Stanley  had  just  published 
one  of  his  books,  and  his  admirers  desired  to  introduce 
it  into  the  library,  and  strongly  recommended  it  to  the 
librarian.  Burgon  would  not  propose  it.  He  said 
airily  that  there  were  other  books  of  greater  value, 
which  he  therefore  proposed  in  preference.  Stanle3r's 
friends  grew  angry,  and  moved  a  vote  of  condemnation 
on  Burgon.  The  votes  given  on  such  occasions  were 
more  tests  of  the  popularity  of  the  person  assailed 
than  calm  judgments  on  the  matter  in  hand.  Burgon 
carried  the  day  triumphantly. 

A  similar  event  happened  to  myself.  The  secretary 
of  the  society,  in  reporting  the  debates,  was  bound  to 
state  only  the  subject  under  discussion,  the  names  of 
the  speakers  on  each  side,  and  the  result  of  the  voting. 
On  one  occasion,  in  1848,  I  introduced  a  descriptive 
account  of  a  scene  of  confusion  that  had  occurred,  in 
order  to  explain  why  there  had  been  so  few  voters. 
I  had  clearly  transgressed  the  rule,  and  the  opposition 
determined  to  impeach  me.  Great  preparations  were 
made  on  both  sides.  A  Balliol  man,  Mr.  Stanton,  who 


1851-59]  BENJAMIN  JOWETT  101 

had  lately  gone  to  London,  and  was  studying  for  the 
Bar,  was  brought  down  to  prosecute  me,  and  canvassers 
were  appointed  on  both  sides  for  each  college.  An 
overflowing  house  met  for  the  debate,  and,  like  Burgon, 
I  met  with  a  triumphant  vindication  of  my  action,  as 
being  in  accordance  with  the  spirit,  though  not  with 
the  letter,  of  the  society's  laws. 

I  was  frequently  in  the  habit  at  this  time  of  dining 
at  the  high  table  in  Balliol,  where  I  met  two  men  of 
the  Liberal  school :  Henry  Halford  Vaughan,  whose 
lectures  on  Modern  History  were  more  appreciated  by 
the  ladies  of  Oxford  than  by  the  undergraduates ;  and 
Benjamin  Jowett,  who  was  the  chief  representative  of 
the  sceptical  school  at  Oxford.  He  was  now  Fellow 
and  Tutor  of  Balliol,  and  strange  tales  were  told  of 
the  things  that  he  would  say  in  his  lectures,  suggesting 
doubts  and  hinting  at  insoluble  difficulties,  while 
directly  denying  nothing.  In  1855  ne  published  a 
commentary  on  the  Thessalonians,  Romans  and  Gala- 
tians,  together  with  some  essays  in  which  the  doctrine 
of  the  Atonement  and  other  articles  of  the  faith  were 
contravened.  This  was  regarded  as  a  challenge  to  the 
orthodoxy  of  Oxford,  or  at  least  an  assault  upon  it, 
which  had  to  be  met.  Dr.  Cotton,  Provost  of  Wor- 
cester, one  of  Burgon's  twelve  good  men,  was  Vice- 
Chancellor,  and  he  felt  his  responsibility  very  deeply 
towards  the  young  men  under  his  charge.  '  If  ever 
pious  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  and  charitable  interest 
in  the  spiritual  comfort  and  salvation  of  mankind  called 
for  great  efforts,  surely  this  is  the  case  at  the  pre- 
sent crisis/  he  said.  It  was  not  thought  wise  to 
invoke  authority  to  condemn  the  book  or  to  deprive 
Jowett  of  his  tutorship,  the  last  of  which  could  only  be 
done  by  the  Master  of  Balliol,  Dr.  Scott  (afterwards 
Dean  of  Rochester),  who  would  have  been  indisposed 
in  any  case  to  act  in  so  peremptory  a  manner,  and  was 
still  more  unwilling  in  the  present  case  because  Jowett 


io2  OXFORD  [1851-59 

had  been  candidate  for  the  Mastership  in  opposition 
to  himself  in  1854.  During  Lent  the  nominations  of 
Preachers  before  the  University  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
Vice-Chancellor,  and  Dr.  Cotton  determined  to  make 
use  of  this  power  to  nominate  Preachers  who  should 
deal  with  the  doctrines  that  had  been  denied.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  appointed  Dr.  Pusey,  T.  D.  Bernard 
(afterwards  Canon  of  Wells),  S.  J.  Rigaud  (Bishop  of 
Antigua),  S.  Wilberforce  (Bishop  of  Oxford),  C.  A. 
Heurtley  (Margaret  Professor  of  Divinity),  E.  M.  Goul- 
burn  (afterwards  Dean  of  Norwich),  Charles  Baring 
(afterwards  Bishop  of  Durham),  and  myself  (at  that 
time  Fellow  and  Tutor  of  Trinity  College).  Dr.  Pusey's 
subject  was  '  Faith,'  Canon  Bernard's  '  The  Exclusion 
of  Wisdom,1  Bishop  Rigaud's  *  Inspiration/  Bishop 
Wilberforce's  '  Our  Reception  of  Christ's  Message,' 
Professor  Heurtley's  and  Dean  Goulburn's  'The  Atone- 
ment,' Bishop  Baring's  *  The  Propitiatory  Sacrifice  of 
Christ,'  and  the  title  of  my  own  sermon  was  '  God's 
Revelation  and  Man's  Moral  Sense  considered  in  re- 
ference to  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Cross.' 

My  argument  was  that  the  moral  sense,  to  which 
Jowett  had  appealed  as  justifying  his  denial  of  the 
Atonement  and  of  the  Propitiatory  Sacrifice,  was  not 
the  final  arbiter  to  which  we  could  refer  in  matters  of 
revelation,  for  God's  nature  must  be  incomprehensible 
to  us  owing  to  the  limitations  of  our  faculties,  which 
caused  things  not  contradictory  in  themselves  to  appear 
to  us  contradictory.  God  has  two  attributes — infinite 
justice  and  infinite  mercy.  How  are  we  to  represent 
such  a  Being  to  ourselves  ?  As  infinitely  just  ?  Then, 
according  to  our  conceptions,  He  cannot  be  merciful. 
As  infinitely  merciful  ?  Then  we  cannot  see  how  He 
can  be  just.  As  one  whose  justice  is  limited  by  mercy  ? 
Then  He  is  not  all-just.  As  one  whose  mercy  is  limited 
by  justice  ?  Then  He  is  not  all-merciful.  Therefore, 
whatsoever  revelation  of  Himself  and  His  acts  God 


1851-59]  BENJAMIN  JOWETT  103 

might  vouchsafe  to  man,  it  must  be  open  to  cavils 
brought  against  it  in  the  name  of  man's  moral  sense. 
And,  consequently,  when  the  doctrine  of  the  Sacrifice 
of  the  Cross  was  objected  to  in  the  name  of  the  moral 
sense,  as  '  inconsistent  with  the  Divine  attributes,'  as 
'  sullying  the  mirror  of  God's  justice  '  and  inferior  to  a 
free  forgiveness  (Jowett,  ii.  472,  480),  all  that  was  proved 
was  the  weakness  of  our  powers  of  comprehension, 
which  cannot  reconcile  attributes  which,  however, 
admittedly  are  not  contradictory — the  attributes  of 
justice  and  mercy.  The  sermons  were  published 
separately,  and  afterwards  were  collected  by  the  Vice- 
Chancellor  into  a  volume,  to  which  he  prefixed  a  pre- 
face and  added  an  appendix.  The  name  that  he  gave 
it  was  Christian  Faith  and  the  Atonement:  Sermons 
preached  before  the  University  of  Oxford  in  Reference  to 
the  Views  published  by  Mr.  Jowett  and  others  (Parker, 
1856). 

Some  of  the  Masters  of  Arts,  specially  those  who, 
being  college  Tutors,  had  pupils  in  whose  weal  they 
were  interested,  thought  that  something  more  was 
needed,  but  it  was  difficult  to  know  what  that  should 
be.  Consequently  a  meeting  was  held  in  the  rooms 
of  Lewis  Gilbertson,  of  Jesus  College,  to  consider  the 
matter.  Dr.  Pusey  attended  it,  and  of  course  was 
asked  to  take  the  chair.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Chamber- 
lain, student  of  Christ  Church  and  incumbent  of  St. 
Thomas's,  Oxford,  began  by  saying  that  he  had  under- 
stood that  I  had  something  to  propose  respecting  a 
brotherhood.  I  shook  my  head,  and  then  was  asked 
if  I  had  any  other  proposal  to  make.  I  said  *  Yes.'  I 
thought  that  sermons  might  be  preached  at  St.  Mary's 
Church  on  Sunday  evenings  (there  were  none  at  that 
time),  of  a  non-controversial  character,  but  dealing 
with  the  points  of  faith  that  had  been  impugned. 
After  discussion  the  suggestion  was  adopted,  and 
Dr.  Pusey,  drawing  an  old  envelope  towards  him  and 


104  OXFORD  [1851-59 

taking  up  a  pen,  said :  '  Then  we  had  better  put  down 
on  paper  the  subjects  that  we  wish  for,  and  the 
preachers  of  the  first  series  during  the  Lent  term.' 
This  was  done,  and,  as  I  happened  to  be  going  to  see 
Bishop  Wilberforce  the  next  day  at  Worcester  College, 
where  he  was  staying,  I  was  asked  to  take  the  pro- 
posal and  the  names  and  the  subjects  to  him,  and 
ask  for  his  authority  for  the  scheme,  as  it  was  to 
be  a  diocesan,  not  a  University,  matter.  The  Bishop 
listened  gravely  to  me,  read  the  list  of  subjects  and 
preachers  deliberately,  and  then  looked  up  and  said 
in  a  decided  voice :  '  Yes,  it  is  a  good  plan.  I  will 
give  it  my  authority,  and  will  write  to  the  persons 
proposed  and  ask  them  to  preach  on  the  suggested 
subjects.  The  plan  had  better  not  drop  after  one  year. 
Next  year  I  will  invite  a  similar  set  of  preachers/  This 
was  the  origin  of  the  evening  Lent  sermons  at  St. 
Mary's,  at  which  men  of  name,  not  resident  in  the 
University,  have  preached  for  many  years,  to  the 
great  benefit  of  the  undergraduates. 

Jowett's  Greek  scholarship  was  not  so  pre-eminent 
as  to  justify  his  appointment  as  Regius  Professor  of 
Greek,  but  it  was  adequate.  When  Dr.  Scott — author, 
with  Liddell,  of  Liddell  and  Scotfs  Lexicon — became 
Dean  of  Rochester  in  1870,  Jowett  was  elected  Master 
of  Balliol.  His  vague  scepticism  continued  to  the  end 
of  his  life,  not  rising  into  belief,  and  not  sinking  into 
unbelief. 

I  made  acquaintance  with  Mark  Pattison  at  the  time 
that  he  was  in  a  transition  state  from  Tractarianism, 
for  which  he  had  been  a  diligent  subordinate  worker, 
to  scepticism,  which  finally  proceeded  to  unbelief.  He 
came  up  to  Oriel,  a  rude  and  unlicked  boy,  in  1832. 
He  was  quizzed  unmercifully  by  his  companions, 
which,  he  says,  'developed  a  self- consciousness  so 
sensitive  and  watchful  that  it  came  between  me  and 
everything  that  I  said  and  did.'  The  wholesome  dis- 


i85i-S9l  MARK  PATTISON  105 

cipline  that  he  received  from  his  comrades  was  probably 
the  best  treatment  that  his  self-love  could  have  re- 
ceived ;  but  he  did  not  get  enough  of  it.  He  did  not 
learn  to  bear  a  reverse  with  dignity  or  to  trace  his 
failures  to  his  own  deficiencies ;  they  only  threw  him 
into  a  state  of  misanthropy  and  sulkiness.  This  was 
the  effect  of  his  failure  when  he  stood  for  the  headship 
of  Lincoln  College  in  1851.  He  has  given  us  a  history 
of  that  event  himself,  and  it  is  strange  that  any  man 
should  have  written  it  down.  When  the  Rector  of 
Lincoln  died  in  1851,  the  senior  Fellows  selected  for 
their  candidate  Dr.  W.  Kay ;  the  junior  Fellows,  Patti- 
son.  The  votes  were  nearly  even,  and  all  depended 
on  the  vote  of  a  Fellow  named  Kettle.  Kettle,  though 
a  strong  Liberal,  determined  to  vote  for  the  Con- 
servative candidate  Kay.  Hereupon  Pattison  and  his 
party  went  to  one  and  another  of  Kay's  supporters 
and  offered  him  their  votes  if  he  would  vote  for  him- 
self. The  first  man  so  applied  to  was  a  gentleman, 
and  refused.  The  second  acquiesced.  The  result  was 
that  Dr.  Thompson  was  elected  by  his  own  vote  and 
those  of  Pattison  and  his  followers,  although  he  had 
promised  to  support  Kay.  If  Pattison  had  thought 
Thompson  better  than  Kay,  this  sharp  practice  might 
possibly  have  been  condoned.  But  he  did  not. 
'Thompson  was  the  very  last  man  I  should  have 
wished  to  see  elected,'  he  has  written  (Memoir,  p.  287). 
*  It  was  impossible  to  say  anything  in  defence  of 
Thompson,  who  was  a  mere  ruffian '  (p.  288).  Yet 
for  this  man,  whom  he  called  a  ruffian  and  other 
opprobrious  names,  Pattison  and  his  friends  voted. 
It  was  a  pure  act  of  spite.  The  college  would  not 
have  Pattison,  so  they  should  have  the  man  whom 
Pattison  judged  would  make  the  worst  Rector  of  his 
college.  When  the  election  had  taken  place,  Pattison 
gave  himself  up  deliberately  to  sulk  year  after  year, 
and  then  he  published  to  the  world  in  his  Memoir  his 


io6  OXFORD  [1851-59 

unhealthy  meanings.  No  man  could  yield  himself  to 
such  influences  as  Pattison  did  on  this  occasion  and 
come  out  unscathed.  Pattison  had  been  brought  up 
in  a  religious  home — Sister  Dora  was  his  sister — by  a 
father  of  Evangelical  sentiments,  which  the  son  in  later 
years  took  every  occasion  to  scorn  at.  This  religion 
clung  fast  to  the  young  Oxford  lad,  and  was  expanded 
by  the  Tractarian  Movement,  which  carried  him  away. 
But  his  sympathies  were  never  those  of  an  English 
Churchman.  He  was  brought  up  as  a  Liberal,  and  '  I 
could  never  bring  myself  to  sympathize  with  Charles 
the  Martyr '  (Memoir,  p.  253).  He  belonged  to  the  body, 
not  to  the  soul,  of  the  religious  movement  which  Keble 
had  originated  in  Oxford.  When  Newman  went  over 
to  the  Church  of  Rome  in  1845,  ne  stopped  still  and 
thought.  *  Romanism  is  false  and  bad  '  was  his  syllo- 
gism; 'Tractarianism'  (he  ought  to  have  said  Newman's 
Tractarianism)  '  leads  to  Romanism :  I  will  have  none 
of  it.'  But  this  was  not  all.  He  not  only  cast  behind 
him  Newman's  teaching,  which  his  argument  justified 
him  in  doing,  but  also  his  faith  in  Christianity  received 
a  great  shock.  Had  his  religion,  however,  been  ever 
so  earnest,  it  could  not  have  survived  the  years  of 
misanthropical  misery  and  bitterness  into  which  he 
voluntarily  plunged  himself  after  his  non-election  to 
the  rectorship  of  Lincoln  in  1851.  He  awoke  out  of 
what  he  calls  his  'passive  wretchedness,'  to  despise 
his  previous  emotions  as  superstition,  ecclesiasticism, 
fanaticism.  It  was  not  the  peculiarities  of  any  one 
school  of  religious  thought  which  offended  him.  He 
became  more  than  a  sceptic.  On  the  death  of  Thomp- 
son, he  obtained  the  coveted  post  of  Rector  of  Lincoln 
College ;  but  this  success  did  not  seem  to  sweeten  him. 
He  spent  much  of  the  rest  of  his  life  studying  in  the 
Bodleian  Library,  and  writing  books  as  the  result  of 
his  studies.  He  was  not,  as  has  been  thought,  a 
scholar,  or  a  theologian,  or  a  University  reformer,  or 


1851-59]  PROFESSOR  HUSSEY  107 

a  philosopher,  so  much  as  a  bookworm,  and  he  would 
have  found  his  right  place  if  he  had  been  an  assistant- 
librarian  in  the  Bodleian  Library  instead  of  the  Head 
of  a  college.  The  Memoir  that  he  left  behind  him  at 
his  death  is  written,  not  with  ink,  but  with  gall.  His 
widow  married  Sir  Charles  Dilke. 

Between  the  time  of  my  election  to  a  Fellowship  at 
Trinity  College  and  of  my  appointment  as  Tutor  (1847- 
1851),  I  had  some  leisure  at  Oxford,  which  I  devoted  to 
the  study  of  theology,  and  for  this  purpose  attended 
the  lectures  of  Robert  Hussey,  Regius  Professor  of 
Ecclesiastical  History,  on  Eusebius  and  Socrates  and 
Bede,  and  of  William  Jacobson,  Regius  Professor  of 
Divinity,  on  Arnobius  and  Lactantius,  as  well  as  the 
latter's  public  lectures,  at  which  all  candidates  for 
ordination  had  to  be  present.  Professor  Hussey  was 
a  learned  and  grave  divine,  very  seldom  seen  to  smile, 
devoted  to  his  work  of  teaching  and  of  study,  and 
bearing  the  reputation  of  great  firmness  and  imper- 
turbability, A  myth  about  him  was  current  in  the 
University,  that  a  surgeon  telling  him  that  one  of  his 
toes  must  be  cut  off,  he  replied :  '  Very  well,  cut  it 
off;  but  be  good  enough  not  to  disturb  me  by  any 
remarks  while  you  do  it,  as  I  have  to  prepare  my 
lecture.'  He  was  an  able  preacher,  and  he  wrote  a 
valuable  manual  on  the  Papal  Supremacy,  a  tenet 
which,  after  balancing  the  facts  and  arguments  on 
each  side,  he  pronounced  to  be  a  falsehood,  a  fiction, 
and  a  fraud. 

Dr.  Jacobson  was  the  son  of  a  Churchman,  but  was 
educated  by  a  stepfather  as  a  Dissenter.  As  soon  as 
he  came  to  Oxford  he  exhibited  himself  as  the  soundest 
of  Churchmen.  He  was  so  careful  not  to  speak 
hastily  that  he  earned  the  character  of  never  giving 
an  opinion  on  any  controverted  subject,  and  delightful 
stories  to  that  effect  were  told  of  him  both  before  and 
after  he  was  Bishop.  '  What  do  you  think,  my  lord, 


io8  OXFORD  [1851-59 

of  the  Bennett  judgment  on  the  doctrine  of  the 
Eucharist  ?'  asked  an  acquaintance  who  was  making 
conversation  on  the  day  that  it  was  pronounced, 
expecting  a  theological  statement  of  the  Bishop's 
views.  '  I  think  it  has  been  a  very  long  time  in 
coming  out/  replied  the  Bishop.  But  had  the  man's 
heart  been  in  the  question  the  answer  would  have 
been  very  different.  Occasionally  in  one  of  his  lectures 
I  asked  him  a  question  which  required  an  answer 
on  some  burning  question  of  the  day.  He  would  look 
quizzically  at  me  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye,  and  say: 
'  Ah !  come  to  breakfast  to-morrow,  and  we  will  con- 
sider that  point.'  After  the  breakfast  he  would  discuss 
the  point  fully,  and  give  a  clear  judgment  of  his  own 
upon  it. 

He  was  the  least  self-asserting  of  men.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  was  standing  at  the  door  of  the  Regius  Pro- 
fessor's house  in  the  Tom  Quadrangle,  Christ  Church, 
without  a  hat,  when  a  party  of  trippers  came  by,  and, 
one  of  the  party,  taking  him  for  the  butler,  asked  him 
to  show  them  the  hall.  *  With  all  my  heart/  said 
Jacobson,  with  his  quaint  smile  of  amusement,  and 
putting  on  his  college  cap,  which  betrayed  their 
mistake  to  the  trippers,  he  led  them  up  the  staircase 
and  conducted  them  round  the  hall  of  Christ  Church, 
pointing  out  to  them  what  to  admire,  and  sent  them  on 
their  way  congratulating  themselves  that  their  mistake 
had  turned  out  so  well.  I  made  a  mistake  myself  once 
which  was  received  as  merrily.  At  one  of  the  Com- 
memorations, T.  L.  Claughton,  as  Professor  of  Poetry, 
had  delivered  the  annual  Latin  oration,  short,  clear, 
and  well  heard.  Walking  away  with  Jacobson,  I 
said :  '  What  an  excellent  oration  !  I  wish  we  always 
might  have  such  orations.'  'Yes,  indeed/  said  Jacob- 
son  heartily  ;  *  but '  (regretfully)  '  that  is  not  likely, 
because '  (dryly)  '  I  am  Public  Orator,  and  shall  have  to 
deliver  the  next  oration — and '  (lingering  on  the  words) 


1851-591  BISHOP  JACOBSON  109 

1  you  remember  that  I  delivered  the  last.'  He  received 
my  assurance  that  I  had  not  been  present  on  that 
occasion  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  and  his  curious 
curve  of  the  lip,  which  showed  that  he  was  enjoying 
my  discomfiture. 

During  the  year  of  my  proctorship  (1857) the  Heb- 
domadal Council,  of  which  Jacobson  was  a  member, 
formally  requested  the  Proctors  (Dr.  Tufnell,  after- 
wards Bishop  of  Brisbane,  and  myself)  to  make  an 
effort  to  restore  a  more  common  use  of  the  academical 
dress  by  undergraduates,  and  more  particularly  to 
put  a  stop  to  their  going  about  the  streets  with 
their  gowns  wrapped  round  their  throats  instead 
of  being  worn  properly.  Jacobson  happened  to  be 
sitting  next  me  at  the  time  that  the  matter  was 
discussed.  The  same  evening  I  was  walking  in  the 
High  Street,  with  the  marshal  and  one  of  the  '  bull- 
dogs,' as  it  was  growing  dark,  and  someone  passed  me 
with  his  gown  wrapped  round  his  neck.  As  I  passed,  I 
said  :  '  Will  you  put  your  gown  on,  sir,  if  you  please  ?' 
Looking  back,  I  saw  that  he  had  not  done  it,  so  I  said 
to  the  marshal :  '  Stop  that  gentleman.'  He  ran  back 
and  did  so,  with  the  Proctor's  compliments.  As  I 
walked  back,  I  heard  a  gruff  voice  saying,  '  I  think 
Mr.  Meyrick  will  let  me  go  by.'  On  my  coming  up 
Jacobson  unfolded  his  gown.  *  It  was  very  wrong  of 
me,  my  dear  Proctor,  very  wrong ;  but  please  forgive 
me  this  time.  It  was  very  cold.'  *  It  is  not  everyone,' 
I  laughed,  *  who  can  boast  of  proctorizing  the  Regius 
Professor  of  Divinity.' 

I  was  proctorized  myself  for  being  in  the  High  Street 
without  my  gown  by  W.  E.  Jelf,  of  Christ  Church, 
who  was  Proctor  when  I  came  up  as  an  undergraduate. 
I  had  been  walking  on  Shotover  Hill  with  Henry 
Coleridge;  and  Jelf,  who  was  riding,  overtook  us  and 
joined  us  for  about  ten  minutes.  We  turned  to  go 
home  about  the  same  time,  and,  as  he  was  riding,  he 


i  io  OXFORD  [1851-59 

naturally  got  back  before  us.  Having  gone  to  his 
rooms  and  put  on  his  Proctor's  gown,  he  emerged 
from  Oriel  Lane  just  at  the  moment  that  we  were 
walking  in  that  part  of  th^  High  Street  (between 
St.  Mary's  and  All  Saints'  Churches)  which  he  had 
ruled  was  to  be  kept  sacred  to  caps  and  gowns.  He 
could  not  help  stopping  us,  which  he  did  with  a 
laugh,  telling  us  to  go  to  our  college,  which  we  were 
already  doing.  This  was  the  only  occasion  on  which 
I  was  proctorized  during  my  undergraduate  life.  At 
a  later  time  I  became  an  intimate  friend  of  W.  E.  Jelf, 
and  we  acted  together  as  examiners.  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  will,  and  he  had  resolved,  when  he  became 
Proctor,  to  put  a  stop  to  the  slovenly  dress  which  was 
becoming  customary,  by  insisting  on  the  use  of  the 
cap  and  gown.  In  other  respects  also  he  drew  the 
reins  of  discipline  tight.  In  consequence  he  was  very 
unpopular  with  the  noisy  set  in  the  University,  and  in 
the  Commemoration  preceding  my  residence  they  had 
created  so  much  disturbance  that  the  proceedings 
could  hardly  be  carried  on.  '  What  are  they  doing 
now  ?'  said  one  of  the  strangers,  who  had  come  for  an 
honorary  degree,  to  Jelf.  '  Hissing  me,'  said  Jelf  with 
equanimity.  A  Proctor  who  does  his  duty  looks 
on  a  certain  amount  of  hissing  in  the  theatre  as  his 
due.  A  body  of  men,  one  of  whom  I  had  rusticated, 
conspired  to  hiss  me.  For  some  half-minute  they  were 
successful,  but  the  other  undergraduates,  with  whom  I 
was  popular,  rose  to  the  occasion  and  overwhelmed  the 
hissing  with  plaudits  which  almost  made  an  ovation. 

Jelf  was  thoroughly  kind-hearted  and  a  man  of 
ability.  He  wrote  some  Notes  on  Aristotle's  Ethics, 
and  preached  a  course  of  Bampton  Lectures  on 
Christian  Faith — Comprehensive,  not  Partial ;  Definite, 
not  Uncertain.  He  also  published  twelve  of  the 
sermons  that  he  preached  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  White- 
hall. 


i85i-59]        MARTIN  JOSEPH  ROUTH  in 

A  few  months  before  he  died  I  received,  in  1854,  a 
letter  from  Martin  Joseph  Routh,  President  of  Magdalen 
College,  which  I  keep  as  a  curiosity,  for  it  was  written 
when  the  President  was  nearly  100  years  old.  I  had 
had  several  interviews  with  him,  for  he  was  much 
interested  in  the  proposal  to  make  the  doctrines  of  the 
Anglican  Church  better  known  on  the  Continent,  with 
a  view  to  the  various  European  Churches  reforming 
themselves  on  like  principles  with  those  of  the  English 
Church.  On  the  occasion  of  one  of  these  interviews 
we  spoke  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Eucharist. 
'  The  right  view,  sir,'  he  said,  '  is  that  of  a  Cambridge 
divine,  I  think,  sir — I  have  forgotten  his  name  [no 
doubt,  Cudworth] — who  has  taught  that  it  is  not  a 
sacrifice,  but  that  it  is  a  feast  upon  a  sacrifice  ;  that  is, 
that  we  feed  our  souls  on  Christ  upon  the  cross,  re- 
calling all  the  benefits  which  we  derive  from  His 
death,  and  humbly  seeking  and,  if  we  are  worthy, 
receiving  grace.'  Stating  his  opinion  in  writing  to  his 
friend,  Dr.  Ogilvy,  he  expressed  himself  as  follows : 
'  In  confidence,  I  will  submit  to  your  consideration 
the  following  brief  result  of  my  humble  inspection  of 
St.  John's  sixth  chapter,  the  account  of  the  other 
Evangelists  of  the  institution,  and  of  St.  Paul  in 
i  Cor.  xi.  and  Heb.  ix.,  xiii. :  "  Take  this  Bread, 
representing  the  Bread  which  came  down  from  heaven 
and  the  Body  which  was  crucified  and  broken  for 
thee.  Feed  on  that  life-giving  Sacrifice  by  faithfully 
believing  in,  and  thankfully  remembering,  the  Lord's 
death." ' 

These  words  are  of  great  importance,  coming  from 
so  learned  a  divine,  of  whom  Dr.  Newman  said,  in  the 
dedication  of  one  of  his  volumes  to  him,  that  he  was 
'  reserved  to  report  to  a  forgetful  generation  what  was 
the  theology  of  their  fathers.'  He  was  born  in  1755, 
and  died  in  December,  1854.  He  was  elected  to  the 
headship  of  his  college  in  1791.  His  appearance  in 


112  OXFORD  [1851-59 

his  later  life  was  that  of  a  man  of  a  previous  gene- 
ration. He  always  wore  his  academical  gown,  even 
when  in  his  study,  and  there  he  sat  surrounded  by  his 
books  as  his  intimate  friends.  It  was  reported  that 
he  died  at  last  by  his  having  mounted  a  ladder  to 
reach  a  large  folio  which  fell  upon  him.  This  was  not 
altogether  true,  but  it  was  true  that  some  years  pre- 
viously he  had  severely  injured  his  leg  in  this  manner. 
In  giving  an  account  of  the  accident  to  his  medical 
man,  the  President  pathetically  complained  that  the 
injury  had  been  done  by  'a  worthless  book,  sir — a 
worthless  book,'  as  though,  says  Burgon,  'he  would 
not  have  minded  if  it  had  been  done  by  a  volume  of 
Chrysostom  or  Augustine.' 

He  published  two  valuable  works  containing  short 
treatises  of  the  earliest  Fathers.  The  first  of  these  was 
called  Reliqiiice  Sacrce,  and  the  other  Scriptorum  Eccle- 
siasticorum  Opuscula.  He  was  buried  in  the  college 
chapel,  of  which  he  had  been  President  for  sixty-three 
years,  on  December  29,  1854.  Dr.  Mozley,  a  Fellow 
of  Magdalen,  wrote :  '  The  majestic  music  and  solemn 
wailings  of  the  choir  seemed  to  mourn  over  some  great 
edifice  that  had  fallen  and  left  a  vast  void,  which 
looked  quite  strange  and  unaccountable  to  one.' 

One  of  the  ablest  men  of  my  acquaintance  in  the 
academic  generation  senior  to  myself  was  William 
Sewell,  Fellow  of  Exeter  College.  He  was  Tutor  of 
his  college,  and  introduced  a  style  of  lecture  which 
was  rather  that  of  the  Professor  than  that  of  the  Tutor. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  men  who  appreciated  Plato's 
philosophy,  and  led  to  his  Republic  being  adopted 
as  one  of  the  books  to  be  taken  up  by  candidates 
for  a  first  class  in  the  University.  He  was  so  fond  of 
using  Plato  in  illustration  of  his  lectures  that  it  was 
said  that  his  class  did  not  always  know  whether  he 
was  lecturing  on  St.  Paul's  Epistles  or  on  Plato's 
Dialogues.  When  the  first  symptoms  of  disloyalty  to 


1851-59]  WILLIAM  SEWELL  113 

the  Church  of  England  began  to  exhibit  themselves, 
he  preached  and  spoke  very  strongly  against  such 
tendency,  and  this  led  him  to  be  attacked  very  un- 
justly by  the  admirers  of  Dr.  Newman.  He  was  an 
able  writer,  and  it  is  said  that  an  article  of  his  in 
the  Quarterly  staved  off  the  Parliamentary  reform  of 
Oxford  for  a  time.  He  was  deeply  interested  in  the 
question  of  education,  and,  though  a  poor  man,  he 
contrived  to  establish  two  colleges  or  schools — St. 
Columba's  in  Ireland,  and  Radley  near  Oxford — where 
boys  should  be  brought  up  on  the  principles  and  in 
the  way  in  which  he  thought  that  education  should  be 
imparted.  For  some  years  he  took  charge  of  Radley 
himself.  Both  of  the  schools  were  to  be  conducted 
in  such  a  way  that  the  boys  might  be  brought  up  as 
intelligent  and  attached  members  of  the  Church  of 
England,  as  well  as  good  scholars.  Dr.  Sewell's 
home  was  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  where  I  became  well 
acquainted,  not  only  with  him,  but  with  his  brothers 
and  sisters.  One  of  his  brothers,  Dr.  Edwards  Sewell, 
when  I  came  up  as  an  undergraduate,  was  a  Fellow 
of  New  College,  and  he  afterwards  became  Warden. 
He  lived  to  a  great  age,  and  was  always  in  his  place 
in  the  college  chapel,  and  after  morning  chapel  took  a 
walk  round  the  parks  when  he  was  nearly  ninety  years 
of  age.  One  of  his  sisters  was  Miss  Elizabeth  Sewell, 
who  shared  with  Miss  Yonge  the  honour  of  having 
provided  wholesome  and  attractive  reading  for  girls 
of  the  upper  and  middle  classes.  Her  first  work  was 
Amy  Herbert,  which,  when  she  found  publishers  un- 
willing to  take  it,  she  published  at  her  own  risk  and 
to  her  great  advantage.  It  was  followed  by  a  long 
series  of  tales  which  have  been  of  incalculable  benefit 
to  many  readers.  Neither  she  nor  Miss  Yonge  ever 
gave  herself  the  slightest  airs  as  a  popular  author. 
Both  lived  simple  lives,  both  were  warmly  attached 
daughters  of  the  English  Church,  and  many  heads  of 

8 


ii4  OXFORD  [1851-59 

Christian  families,  looking  at  the  tone  of  publications 
which  have  of  late  invaded  their  homes  and  found  a 
place  in  the  schoolroom  and  drawing-room,  have  risen 
up  and  called  them  blessed.  I  first  made  acquaint- 
ance with  Miss  Yonge  in  Judge  Coleridge's  house 
at  Ottery  St.  Mary,  in  Devonshire,  in  1844.  Miss  C. 
Coleridge,  in  her  Life  of  Miss  Yonge^  has  published 
the  record  of  a  conversation,  made  at  the  time  by  Miss 
Yonge,  that  took  place  there  on  the  merits  of  Miss 
Sewell's  books,  in  which  I  took  a  humble  part. 

Isaac  Williams,  author  of  a  devout  commentary  on 
the  Gospels,  and  of  several  books  of  religious  poetry, 
was  Fellow  and  Tutor  of  Trinity  College  at  the  time 
of  my  election,  but  ceased  to  reside  the  same  term 
that  I  came  up  to  the  college.  I  made  his  acquaint- 
ance afterwards,  when  he  was  living  at  Stinchcombe. 
Mr.  Williams's  character  was  formed  on  the  model  of 
Keble's.  The  latter  took  him,  with  R.  Isaac  Wilber- 
force  and  Hurrell  Froude,  on  an  Oxford  reading- 
party,  while  he  was  still  an  undergraduate;  and 
Williams,  becoming  much  attached,  gave  himself  up 
to  be  moulded  by  him.  A  little  later  he  came  to 
know  J.  H.  Newman,  who  at  that  time  belonged  to 
the  school  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  with 
a  dash  of  Archbishop  Whately's  Liberalism.  After 
his  ordination,  when  Newman  had  now  come  under 
the  influence  of  Keble,  Williams  became  Newman's 
curate,  but  from  the  beginning  of  his  connection  with 
Newman  he  felt  a  strong  difference  between  him  and 
the  Kebles.  '  Newman,'  he  writes,  *  was  looking  for 
effect,  for  what  was  sensibly  effective,  which  from  the 
Bisley  and  Fairford  School  I  had  been  long  habituated 
to  avoid.  I  had  been  taught  there  to  do  one's  duty  in 
faith,  and  leave  the  effect  to  God,  and  that  all  the  more 
earnestly  because  there  were  no  sympathies  from 
without  to  answer.'  Again,  speaking  of  Newman,  he 
says:  'We  lived  daily  very  much  together;  but  I  had 


iSsi-59]  ISAAC  WILLIAMS 

a  secret  uneasiness,  not  from  anything  said  or  implied, 
but  from  a  want  of  repose  about  his  character,  that  he 
would  start  into  some  line  different  from  Keble  and 
Pusey,  though  I  knew  not  in  what  direction  it  would 
be.  But  at  all  times  there  was  a  charm  about  his 
society  which  was  very  taking,  and  I  do  not  wonder 
at  those  being  carried  away  who  had  not  been 
previously  formed,  like  myself,  in  another,  or  at  all 
events  earlier,  school  of  faith.1 

When  Newman  had  once  said  definitely  that  he 
held  Rome  to  be  right  and  England  wrong,  Williams 
withdrew  from  him,  and  so,  too,  did  Keble,  not  with- 
out great  distress  of  mind.  '  Now  that  I  have  thrown 
off  Newman's  yoke,'  said  Keble  to  Williams,  *  these 
things  appear  to  me  quite  different.  ...  I  have  now 
returned  to  my  old  views  which  I  had  before.'  Had 
Williams  lived  longer,  his  influence  would  have  served 
as  some  counterpoise  to  that  of  Newman.  No  doubt 
he  would  have  been  too  acquiescent  in  failure,  as 
being  the  lot  of  God's  servants,  and  too  much  resigned 
under  it,  to  have  moved  the  world  as  a  party  actuated 
by  Newman's  spirit  could  do ;  but  he  represented  an 
element  which  was  most  valuable,  and,  had  it  been 
stronger,  might  have  prevented  a  widespread  mis- 
chief. During  his  last  illness  he  wrote  an  auto- 
biography, since  published  by  his  brother-in-law,  Sir 
George  Prevost,  which  throws  much  light  on  the 
history  of  the  Oxford  Movement.  It  was  retained  in 
manuscript  for  a  number  of  years  by  W.  J.  Copeland 
because  too  little  favourable  to  Newman  for  Copeland 
to  make  public.  The  extracts  given  above  are  taken 
from  it. 

Richard  Cobden  paid  a  visit  to  Oxford  during  the 
time  of  my  residence — in,  I  think,  1851.  He  came 
partly  to  see  a  cousin,  J.  E.  Thorold  Rogers — at  that 
time  resident  in  Magdalen  Hall,  who  afterwards  ex- 
changed the  academical  and  clerical  life  for  that  of 

8—2 


ii6  OXFORD  [1851-59 

a  Radical  M.P. — and  partly  to  learn  what  political 
effect  Tractarianism  and  the  example  of  Mr.  Glad- 
stone would  have  on  the  young  generation  of  clergy. 
Rogers  asked  a  certain  number  of  representative  men 
to  meet  Cobden,  and  after  dinner  he  propounded  his 
question.  Sir  Robert  Peel,  he  said,  and  the  Con- 
servative party  in  general,  had  rested  for  their 
support  upon  the  Church ;  he  desired  to  know 
whether  this  alliance  between  Churchmen  and  Con- 
servatives was  likely  to  continue.  We  replied  that 
Tractarians  as  such  were  not  attached  to  any  political 
party,  that  many  of  them  would  be  found  in  the 
Liberal  ranks,  and  that  Mr.  Gladstone's  example 
would  have  a  Liberalizing  effect  upon  the  clergy ;  but 
that,  nevertheless,  as  the  Church  was  a  great  insti- 
tution of  the  country,  Tories  would  naturally  be 
disposed  to  support  it,  and  their  support  would 
as  naturally  create  a  disposition  in  the  Church  to 
support  the  Tory  party  in  return.  The  result  on  the 
whole  would  probably  be  to  add  some  Churchmen  to 
the  Liberal  party,  but  not  to  withdraw  the  support 
given  to  the  Tories  by  the  Church,  though  that 
support  would  probably  be  given,  not  solely  on 
account  of  the  Church's  establishment,  but  for  other 
reasons  as  well. 

Max  Muller  on  his  first  visit  to  Oxford  brought 
a  letter  of  introduction  to  me.  He  was  at  that  time 
uncertain  whether  he  should  settle  in  London,  near 
the  British  Museum,  or  in  Oxford,  near  the  Bodleian. 
He  had  been  disappointed  with  the  coolness  of  his 
welcome  to  Oxford,  which  he  had  expected  would 
receive  him  with  open  arms  as  a  scholar  in  a  sister 
University.  I  told  him  that  we  were  all  so  busy 
in  either  teaching  or  being  taught  that  we  were 
(perhaps  too  much)  engrossed  each  in  his  own  work, 
but  that  if  he  came  to  reside  among  us  he  would  not 
have  to  complain  of  any  want  of  warmth  in  his  recep- 


iSsi-59]  MAX  MOLLLER  117 

tion.  He  asked  me  to  tell  him  what  books  I  thought 
that  he  should  read  in  order  to  put  him  abreast  with 
English  literature.  Early  in  the  list  that  I  gave  him 
I  put  Butler's  Sermons.  '  Sermons/  he  said,  '  are  not 
the  sort  of  books  that  I  desire;  they  are  generally 
ephemeral,  and  appeal  to  the  feelings,  whereas  I  want 
books  of  permanent  value  in  the  history  or  literature 
of  the  country.'  I  assured  him  that  he  would  not  find 
Bishop  Butler's  sermons  ephemeral  or  superficial,  in 
spite  of  their  being  called  '  sermons,'  but  that  they 
contained  the  best  system  of  ethical  philosophy  which 
was  to  be  found  in  the  English  language.  Accord- 
ingly, he  wrote  down  the  name  in  his  list  as  a  book 
to  be  studied  by  him.  Max  Mtiller  settled  in  Oxford, 
and  became,  though  a  foreigner,  one  of  the  most 
popular  men  in  the  University.  He  was  much  dis- 
appointed at  not  being  elected  Professor  of  Sanskrit, 
and  at  the  preference  given  to  Monier- Williams.  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  the  University  acted  wisely 
in  the  decision  to  which  it  came,  as  Mr.  Monier- 
Williams  was  better  suited  to  carry  on  the  instruc- 
tion of  individuals  than  Max  Muller,  who  rather 
addressed  himself  by  his  publications  to  the  whole 
world. 


CHAPTER  V 

Dr.  Pusey— Bishop  Stubbs— Bishop  Samuel  Wilberforce. 

SOON  after  I  had  taken  my  degree  I  was  urged  very 
strongly  by  Charles  Marriott  to  learn  Hebrew,  and 
with  that  end  to  attend  Dr.  Pusey's  lectures  as  Pro- 
fessor of  Hebrew.  Having  first  learnt  something  of 
the  language  from  his  assistant  or  deputy,  William 
Kay  junior,  of  Lincoln  College,  I  accordingly  went 
to  Dr.  Pusey's  lectures.  This  was  not  the  occasion 
of  my  first  making  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Pusey. 
Canons  of  Christ  Church  and  University  Professors 
had  generally  lived  in  a  sphere  separate  from  under- 
graduates, but  Pusey  was  accessible  to  anyone  who 
needed  his  advice  or  help ;  the  barrier  between  Dons 
and  young  students  was  in  his  case  done  away,  and 
the  kind  smile  and  ready  attention  which  he  gave 
might  lead  the  man  who  sought  his  counsel  to  think 
that  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  listen  to  him.  In 
my  early  undergraduate  days  a  brother  undergraduate 
had  come  to  me  for  counsel  on  a  matter  involving  such 
serious  moral  difficulties  and  perplexities  that,  not 
feeling  myself  competent  to  deal  with  the  case,  I  had 
taken  it  and  him  to  Dr.  Pusey,  that  he  might  resolve 
them.  In  like  manner,  a  little  later,  a  man  in  the 
position  of  a  gentleman  having  stolen  some  of  the 
books  belonging  to  the  Union  Society  at  the  time  that 
I  was  treasurer,  and  having  been  sent  to  prison 
(not  on  my  prosecution,  but  on  that  of  a  bookseller 

118 


1834-451  DR.    PUSEY  119 

whom  he  had  also  defrauded),  I  thought  it  right  to 
visit  him.  He  professed  deep  penitence  (in  which  I 
did  not  quite  believe),  and  begged  to  see  a  clergyman 
for  his  spiritual  comfort.  I  mentioned  the  facts  to 
Dr.  Pusey,  and  he  at  once  undertook  to  visit  the 
prisoner. 

Having  spent  one  term  in  learning  the  elements  of 
the  Hebrew  language  from  Dr.  Kay,  I  went  to  Pusey 's 
lectures.  They  were  not  anything  remarkable.  Evi- 
dently the  Professor  had  not  had  time  to  make  much 
preparation,  and  his  method  was  to  draw  one  folio 
after  another  to  him  and  read  to  us  the  comment  made 
by  the  authors  on  the  text  of  Scripture  under  dis- 
cussion. Still,  in  the  end  he  always  gave  us  a  clear 
notion  of  its  meaning,  and  the  reverence  with  which 
he  dealt  with  Holy  Scripture  was  a  lesson  to  us  all, 
as  well  as  the  patience  which  he  exercised  towards 
indifferent  Hebrew  scholars  in  his  class. 

Pusey's  Oxford  life  may  be  divided  into  four  parts 
of  almost  equal  lengths.  The  first  was  from  1834  to 
1845,  when  at  first  tentatively,  afterwards  enthusi- 
astically, he  threw  himself — already  a  Canon  of  Christ 
Church  and  Professor  of  Hebrew,  and  with  a  reputa- 
tion for  great  learning — into  the  thick  of  the  battle 
initiated  at  Oxford  by  Keble,  which  came  to  be  known 
as  the  Tractarian  Movement.  He  had  placed  his 
initials  after  one  of  the  Tracts  that  he  had  written, 
with  the  intention  of  limiting  his  responsibility  to  his 
one  Tract,  as  he  was  not  yet  perfectly  in  sympathy 
with  the  other  contributors  to  the  series.  But  his 
name,  becoming  thus  known,  was  seized  upon  by  the 
opponents  of  the  movement,  and  attached  to  the 
Tractarians,  who  were  thence  called  Puseyites. 
Henceforward  Keble,  Pusey,  and  Newman  formed 
a  triumvirate  which  directed  the  action  of  the  Trac- 
tarian party.  That  action  was  in  some  respects  far 
from  wise.  The  Hampden  controversy  had  better 


120 


OXFORD  [1845-55 


have  been  let  alone  (how  mild  does  Hampden's 
unorthodoxy,  into  which  he  was  led  blindfold  by 
Blanco  White,  look  now!);  an  opposition  raised  to 
the  erection  of  the  Martyrs'  Memorial  was  narrow- 
minded  in  the  extreme ;  and  an  attempt  to  veto  the 
appointment  of  Dr.  Symons,  Warden  of  Wadham,  as 
Vice-Chancellor  was  impolitic  and  reprehensible.  On 
the  other  hand,  much  valuable  work  was  done.  The 
aggressions  of  the  State  were  beaten  back;  the  char- 
acter of  the  Anglican  clergy  was  deepened  by  the 
more  religious  character  given  to  the  Universities 
(which  had  not  then  been  secularized) ;  the  '  Library 
of  the  Fathers'  and  the  'Anglo-Catholic  Library'  were 
issued,  opening  sources  of  information  that  had  not 
been  readily  accessible. 

The  next  ten  years  were  a  period  of  loneliness  and 
distress  to  Pusey.  Newman  had  deserted  him,  and 
Dr.  Pusey  had  thus  not  only  lost  a  loved  associate, 
but  a  change  had  come  over  the  University.  Men 
felt  that  they  had  to  take  their  choice  between  four 
courses — either  following  Newman  to  Rome,  or  start- 
ing back  and  withdrawing  farther  and  farther  from 
the  verge  of  the  precipice,  or  casting  off  all  thought 
of  religion,  or  remaining  as  nearly  as  possible  as  they 
were.  Pusey  took  the  last  of  the  four  alternatives. 
He  would  not  join  the  Church  of  Rome ;  he  was  kept 
estranged  from  her  by  her  Mariolatry,  her  Masses  for 
the  dead,  her  Indulgences,  and  her  denial  of  the  Cup  ; 
but  he  would  not  join  in  any  condemnation  of  what 
was  now  Newman's  home.  Many  men  and  women, 
disturbed  by  Newman's  act,  came  to  Pusey  in  distress 
of  mind,  and  he  confirmed  them  in  faithfulness  to  the 
Church  of  England  on  the  ground  of  her  catholicity; 
but  he  refrained  from  basing  his  argument  on  the 
character  of  the  dogmas  and  practices  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.  In  consequence,  those  who  were  retained 
in  spite  of  their  attraction  to  Rome  were  retained 


1855-65]  DR.  PUSEY  121 

rather  by  the  personal  influence  of  Pusey  than  by 
a  conviction  of  the  superiority  of  the  Anglican  to  the 
Roman  position.  This  answered  better  with  women 
than  with  men.  Maskell,  Allies,  H.  Wilberforce, 
Dodsworth,  Manning,  James  Hope,  R.  Wilberforce, 
all  fulfilled  their  courses.  Still,  the  very  fact  of  Pusey's 
standing  firm  himself  had  a  widespread  effect  in  calm- 
ing disquiet,  though  he  did  not  speak  with  the  decision 
of  Andrewes,  or  Laud,  or  Cosin,  or  Bull. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  great  trouble  took 
place  in  connection  with  St.  Saviour's,  Leeds.  It  had 
been  built  by  Dr.  Pusey,  who  therefore  had  the 
nomination  of  the  incumbent.  In  exercising  this 
privilege  Pusey  was  most  unfortunate.  Two  sets  of 
incumbents  or  curates  went  over,  to  the  Church  of 
Rome  one  after  the  other,  the  best  known  of  whom 
were  R.  G.  Macmullen  and  John  Hungerford  Pollen. 
After  the  second  secession  in  1851,  Pusey  was  anxious 
to  find  an  incumbent  who  should  satisfy  Dr.  Hook  and 
Bishop  Longley,  and  he  asked  me  to  take  the  post, 
though  I  was  then  only  a  deacon.  I  could  not  take 
it,  and  it  was  filled  by  a  most  devout  and  excellent 
man,  J.  W.  Knott,  who  after  holding  it  for  some  years 
gave  himself  up  to  missionary  work.  From  the  time 
of  his  appointment  there  was  peace  at  St.  Saviour's, 
Leeds,  for  Knott,  though  a  mystic,  was  no  Ritualist. 

In  the  decade  from  1855  to  ^65,  Dr.  Pusey  rose  from 
the  controversies  of  the  day  to  be  the  champion  of  no 
lesser  thing  than  revealed  truth  against  rationalism, 
and  the  representative  of  no  narrower  body  than 
that  of  Christian  believers  in  their  struggle  against 
scepticism.  Dr.  Jowett's  commentary  on  the  Romans, 
which  cast  a  slur  on  the  authority  of  Scripture  and 
denied  the  Atonement,  was  the  first  indication  of 
rationalistic  aggression  at  Oxford.  That  was  in  1856, 
and  I  have  already  pointed  out  the  active  part  taken 
by  Dr.  Pusey  in  opposition  to  it.  Then  followed  the 


122  OXFORD  [1860-64 

Essays  and  Reviews  in  1860.  Five  of  these,  written  by 
Rowland  Williams,  Baden  Powell,  H.  B.  Wilson, 
C.  W.  Goodwin,  and  Professor  Jowett,  were  sceptical 
and  rationalistic.  Pusey  felt  that  this  was  a  matter 
in  which  High  Churchmen  and  Evangelicals  might 
work  together,  and  he  wrote  to  the  Record  suggesting 
common  action.  Lord  Shaftesbury  responded  :  '  For 
God's  sake,  let  all  who  love  our  Blessed  Lord  and  His 
perfect  work  be  of  one  heart,  one  mind,  in  our  action 
on  this  great  issue,  and  show  that,  despite  our  wander- 
ings, our  doubts,  our  contentions,  we  yet  may  be  one 
in  Him.  What  say  you  ?'  Pusey  answered :  '  This 
soul-destroying  judgment  [acquitting  R.  Williams] 
may,  with,  I  fear,  its  countless  harms,  be  over- 
ruled by  God's  mercy  to  good,  if  it  bind  as  one 
man  all  who  love  our  Blessed  Lord  in  contending 
for  the  faith  assailed.  I  have  ever  loved  the  (to 
use  the  word)  Evangelical  party  (even  while  they 
blamed  me),  because  I  believed  that  they  loved  our 
Redeeming  Lord  with  their  whole  hearts.'  *  What 
I  am  most  anxious  about  for  the  present,'  wrote 
Bishop  Wilberforce  to  Dr.  Pusey,  '  is  that  you  should 
do  your  utmost  to  weld  together  the  two  great  sections 
of  the  Church — High  and  Low.'  A  committee  repre- 
senting High  Churchmen,  Low  Churchmen,  and  men 
that  were  neither  one  nor  the  other,  was  formed  in 
Oxford,  and  a  declaration  was  framed  maintaining  the 
doctrines  of  the  inspiration  and  authority  of  Scripture 
and  of  everlasting  punishment.  Mr.  F.  D.  Maurice 
angrily  assailed  it  in  the  Times,  and  Dr.  Pusey  replied 
to  him.  The  Declaration  was  signed  by  11,000  clergy, 
and  presented  to  the  Archbishop  in  1864. 

A  common  opposition  to  Bishop  Colenso's  tenets, 
as  well  as  to  those  of  the  Essays  and  Reviews,  seemed 
still  more  to  make  the  Evangelical  party  forget  their 
antagonism  to  Dr.  Pusey,  whose  Lectures  on  the  Book 
of  Daniel  were  published  in  the  autumn  of  1864  as 


1864-65]  DR.  PUSEY  123 

an  apologetic.  *  The  exposure  of  the  weakness  of 
criticism,  where  it  thought  itself  most  triumphant, 
would,  I  hoped,  shake  the  confidence  of  the  young 
in  their  would-be  misleaders '  (Preface,  p.  vi).  In 
addition,  Pusey  at  this  time  invited  Bachelors  of  Arts 
and  undergraduates  to  meetings  at  his  house,  at  which 
any  present  had  the  right  of  propounding  difficulties, 
which  were  dealt  with  at  the  next  meeting.  In  this 
way  the  Mosaic  account  of  the  Creation,  the  Deluge, 
the  ten  plagues,  the  influence  of  Egypt  on  the  Mosaic 
system,  Colenso's  Pentateuch,  and  other  subjects,  were 
discussed.  His  University  sermons  at  this  period  all 
had  the  same  end  in  view.  He  preached  on  the 
evidences  of  Christianity,  on  God  as  the  Source  of 
knowledge,  on  the  predictional  element  in  the  Old 
Testament,  on  the  Atonement,  on  eternal  punishment, 
on  prayer.  One  day  I  was  walking  with  him,  when  he 
stopped,  and,  with  that  catch  in  the  voice  which  he 
used  when  much  interested,  he  said:  'The  battle  of 
the  coming  generation  will  be  for  Holy  Scripture.  It 
was  impending  thirty  years  ago,  but  the  controversy 
on  the  Tracts  deferred  it.  Now  it  is  close  upon  us, 
and  it  will  begin  by  an  assault  on  the  authorship  and 
dates  of  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  whence  it 
will  extend  to  their  subject-matter  and  to  the  New 
Testament.' 

Confidence  in  Dr.  Pusey  as  a  representative  Church- 
man grew  more  and  more,  and  it  was  exhibited  most 
clearly  at  the  Norwich  Church  Congress  of  1865. 
This  was  the  zenith  of  his  popularity  in  England, 
when  he  reached  a  height  of  reputation  from  which  he 
soon  after  declined,  and  to  which  he  never  again 
attained.  The  Congress  of  1865  was  perhaps  the 
most  remarkable  of  the  Congresses  of  the  Church  of 
England.  Dr.  Pusey,  Bishop  Wilberforce,  and  Dean 
(afterwards  Bishop)  Harvey  Goodwin,  who  formed  a 
host  in  themselves,  were  supported  by  Archdeacon 


124  OXFORD  [1865-70 

Denison,  Sir  Robert  Phillimore,  Mr.  Beresford  Hope, 
Lord  Arthur  Hervey,  Dean  Alford,  the  Earl  of 
Harrowby,  Canon  (afterwards  Bishop)  Claughton, 
Bishop  Charles  Wordsworth,  Dean  Howson,  Canon 
(afterwards  Bishop)  Mackenzie,  Dr.  (afterwards  Dean) 
Goulburn,  Mr.  Joseph  Napier,  Dr.  Salmon,  Bishop 
Cotterill,  and  other  good  speakers.  At  this  meeting 
Dr.  Pusey  was  received  with  an  extraordinary  out- 
burst of  enthusiasm.  He  had  won  the  goodwill  of 
all  parties  in  the  Church  and  of  all  members  of  the 
Church,  with  the  exception  of  semi-rationalists,  who 
then  were  few.  His  paper  on  '  The  Spirit  in  which 
the  Researches  of  Learning  and  Science  should  be 
applied  to  the  Study  of  the  Bible'  increased  the 
enthusiasm  in  his  behalf,  and  it  remains  a  valuable 
Eirenicon  between  the  claims  of  Holy  Scripture  and 
the  physical  sciences  at  this  day.  It  avoids  both  the 
ecclesiastic's  temptation  of  claiming  too  much  for 
revelation  and  allowing  too  little  to  human  research, 
and  the  timid  man's  error  of  giving  away  what 
cannot  be  yielded  without  imperilling  the  whole. 

Dr.  Pusey  went  away  from  the  Norwich  Congress 
the  most  popular  man  in  the  Church  of  England,  and 
he  passed  from  Norwich  direct  to  France,  and  forth- 
with destroyed  that  popularity  and  sharpened  against 
him  afresh  the  blunted  weapons  of  his  old  antagonists; 
for  now,  at  the  beginning  of  his  fourth  decade,  he  set 
forth  on  the  ignis  fatuus  pursuit  of  union  with  Rome. 
Dr.  Manning  had  assailed  the  position  of  the  English 
Church,  and  Pusey  began  an  apologetic  reply;  but 
when  he  had  proceeded  a  little  way  with  it,  he  changed 
its  character  and  made  it  an  Eirenicon,  in  which  he 
proposed  terms  of  union  with  the  Roman  Church 
under  certain  conditions.  The  Eirenicon  appeared  in 
three  parts  ;  the  first  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Keble,  and 
called  The  Truth  and  Office  of  the  English  Church. 
Its  proposal  was  that  Rome  should  draw  a  sharp  line 


i865-7o]  DR.  PUSEY  125 

of  distinction  between  her  authorized  doctrines  and 
the  religious  system  working  in  the  hearts  and  lives 
of  the  people  attached  to  her.  The  idea  was  an  im- 
practicable one,  as  Newman  more  than  once  pointed 
out  to  him.  *  It  is  quite  true  that  I  said,  and  I  should 
still  say,  that  it  is  a  mere  doctrinaire  view  to  enter  a 
Church  without  taking  up  its  practical  system,  and 
that  as  represented  by  its  popular  catechisms  and 
books  of  devotion.  In  this  sense  I  hold  by  the  system 
of  St.  Alfonso  Liguori'  (Apol.,  p.  127).  Rome  will  not, 
cannot,  distinguish  between  her  more  and  less  super- 
stitious doctrines  and  practices,  for  they  all  belong  to 
her ;  and  if  she  could  and  would,  it  would  not  bring 
about  union  with  her,  for  we  have  no  right  to  en- 
dorse her  less  superstitious  any  more  than  her  more 
superstitious  tenets.  That  they  are  superstitious  is 
sufficient.  Still,  the  first  part  of  the  Eirenicon  did  not 
give  serious  offence  in  England.  Pusey's  reputation 
stood  at  the  moment  so  high,  its  title  was  so  harmless, 
it  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Keble,  and  it  severely  con- 
demned some  of  the  Roman  practices.  But  the 
necessary  consequence  of  its  moderation  ensued.  It 
did  not  satisfy  the  other  side.  Newman  was  '  dis- 
appointed,' and  he  invented  the  clever  saying  that 
Pusey  *  discharged  his  olive  branch  as  if  from  a 
catapult.' 

Pusey  could  not  bear  to  hurt  Newman's  feelings. 
Most  of  all  was  he  anxious  to  set  himself  right  in 
Newman's  estimation,  and  to  do  this  he  must  be  less 
aggressive  —  i.e.,  defensive,  and  more  yielding  to 
Roman  arrogance.  He  took  two  ways  of  soothing  his 
offended  friend.  He  republished  Tract  XC.,  with  a 
preface  condoning  and  defending  the  sophistical  mode 
of  dealing  with  the  Articles,  by  which  Newman 
had  brought  the  series  of  Tracts  for  the  Times  to  an 
end  in  the  midst  of  an  outburst  of  honest  indignation. 
Then  he  turned  again  to  the  Eirenicon.  Keble  had 


126  OXFORD  [1870 

died,  and  Pusey,  when  he  had  written  the  second  part 
of  the  Eirenicon,  addressed  it  'to  the  Very  Rev.  J.  H. 
Newman,  D.D.,  and  in  it  he  mildly  suggested  that  the 
Bull  Ineffabilis  on  the  Immaculate  Conception  needed 
explanation.  But  Newman  was  still  dissatisfied. 
Pusey  resolved  upon  writing  a  third  part  of  the 
Eirenicon  in  the  shape  of  a  second  letter  to  Newman, 
and  it  was  published  under  the  title  Is  Healthful 
Union  impossible  ?  In  it  he  enumerates  '  the  most 
common  causes  of  dread  among  us,  in  case  of  union 
with  Rome,'  and  '  suggests  some  way  of  agreement, 
where  possible.1  This  letter  formed  a  book  of  350 
pages,  and  being  published  in  the  early  part  of  1870, 
when  the  Vatican  Council  was  on  the  point  of  assem- 
bling, it  dealt  largely  with  the  Papal  claim  to  Infalli- 
bility. By  Newman's  advice,  he  sent  a  copy  of  the 
work  to  several  of  the  Bishops  about  to  take  part  in 
the  Council :  among  others,  to  Dr.  Clifford,  Roman 
Bishop  of  Clifton,  and  Monseigneur  Dupanloup, 
Bishop  of  Orleans.  But  both  prelates  sent  back  their 
copy  with  '  Refused '  written  upon  it.  Pusey,  who  had 
visited  Dupanloup  at  Orleans,  was  naturally  hurt. 
But  it  was  the  idlest  dream  that  the  Vatican  Council 
would  take  into  consideration  theories  of  reunion  pro- 
posed by  heretics.  Before  it  met,  Pope  Pius  had  given 
his  sanction  to  a  decree  of  the  Supreme  Congregation 
ordering  a  correspondent  of  Dr.  Pusey  and  Bishop 
Forbes,  named  De  Buck,  '  to  desist  entirely  from 
discussing  the  subject  of  reconciliation  with  some 
heterodox  Anglicans.'  Pusey  soon  saw  that  his  efforts 
were  doomed  to  the  disappointment  which  they  de- 
served. '  I  can  only  turn  away  sick  at  heart.'  '  I 
have  done  what  I  could,  and  now  have  done  with 
controversy  and  Eirenica'  (August  26,  1870).  At 
length  he  was  aware  of  his  error,  and  after  Papal 
Infallibility  had  been  adopted  on  July  18,  1870,  he 
altered  the  title  of  the  third  part  of  his  Eirenicon,  and 


18/5]  DR.  PUSEY  127 

in  later  editions,  instead  of  Is  Healthful  Union  impos- 
sible ?  adopted  the  title  Healthful  Reunion,  as  conceived 
possible  before  the  Vatican  Council. 

A  result  of  his  dealings  with  Rome  was  that  Pusey 
would  have  nothing  to  say  to  the  Old  Catholics. 
These  were  representatives  of  the  Catholic  element  in 
the  unreformed  Churches,  as  distinct  from  the  Papal 
or  Ultramontane  element.  They  had  been  thrust  out 
of  the  various  Churches  subjected  to  Rome  because 
they  would  not  accept  the  dogmas  of  the  Infallibility 
of  the  Pope  and  his  Universal  Bishopric.  Pusey  was 
invited  to  the  Old  Catholic  Congress  at  Cologne  in 
1872,  and  he  hesitated  as  to  accepting  the  invitation, 
but  finally  declined  it.  With  the  first  Bonn  Con- 
ference of  1874  he  had  nothing  to  do,  nor  was  he 
present  at  the  second,  held  in  1875,  in  both  of  which, 
however,  a  very  active  part  was  taken  by  his  lieu- 
tenant, Dr,  Liddon.  In  1875  the  Conference  proposed 
a  form  which  members  both  of  the  Eastern  and 
Western  Churches  might  accept  in  reference  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  Procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This 
formula  was  drawn  up  and  agreed  to  by  a  committee, 
consisting  of  Dr.  v.  Dollinger  and  two  other  Old 
Catholic  theologians,  the  Archbishop  of  Syros,  Arch- 
Priest  Janyscheff  and  three  other  Oriental  divines,  Dr. 
Liddon,  Dr.  Nevin,  and  myself.  It  was  then  approved 
by  the  Conference  and  remitted  to  England,  St.  Peters- 
burg, and  Constantinople,  for  the  consideration  of  the 
authorized  organs  of  the  Churches  of  England  and  the 
East.  Accordingly,  on  the  petition  of  the  members  of 
the  Conference  on  their  return  to  England,  the  formula 
was  submitted  to  the  Convocation  of  Canterbury,  and 
a  committee  was  appointed,  which  declared  it  to  be  in 
all  respects  orthodox. 

But  Pusey  was  strongly  opposed.  He  was  abso- 
lutely resolved  not  to  admit  the  recurrence  by  the 
Church  of  England  to  the  original  form  of  the  Niceno- 


128  OXFORD  [1876-82 

Constantinopolitan  Creed,  because  it  would  be  widen- 
ing the  chasm  between  the  Church  of  England  and 
Newman's  communion,  which,  in  spite  of  his  own  efforts 
at  union  having  come  to  naught,  he  could  not  bear. 
Correspondence  on  the  subject  between  Dr.  Pusey 
and  myself  continued  in  the  Times  for  the  whole  of 
January,  1876,  and  Pusey  published  a  treatise  against 
the  Bonn  proposal  in  July  of  the  same  year.  His 
influence  was  so  great  in  the  English  Church  that  the 
favourable  report  of  the  committee  of  Convocation  in 
respect  to  the  Bonn  propositions  was  allowed  to 
remain  without  effect,  and  the  question  was  not  sub- 
mitted to,  or  considered  by,  the  House.  Dr.  v.  Dollinger 
was  so  much  disappointed  and  hurt  by  Pusey's  oppo- 
sition to  his  scheme  of  reunion  that  he  gave  it  as  the 
chief  reason  for  not  summoning  a  third  Conference  at 
Bonn.  Then,  as  now,  sympathy  with  a  scheme  of 
reunion  with  Rome  was  found  incompatible  with 
sympathy  with  those  who  had  been  excommunicated 
by  Rome. 

Pusey  never  regained  the  confidence  of  the  Evan- 
gelical party  which  he  enjoyed  in  1865  and  forfeited 
by  his  futile  attempt  at  union  with  the  Roman  See. 
For  the  rest  of  his  life  he  was  deeply  respected  for  the 
work  that  he  had  done,  and  idolized  by  his  immediate 
followers ;  but  he  was  the  head  of  a  party,  not  the 
representative  of  the  Church,  as  he  was  in  1865,  and 
might  have  continued  to  be. 

Dr.  Pusey  died  in  1882,  and  was  buried  at  Christ 
Church,  in  the  cathedral  where  for  so  many  years  he 
had  worshipped  God. 

Next  to  me  in  the  list  of  the  Fellows  of  Trinity 
College  was  William  Stubbs.  He  was  elected  the 
year  after  myself,  and  we  were  thenceforth  com- 
panions and  friends.  The  last  communication  that  I 
had  from  him  was  a  letter  in  which,  '  with  love,'  he 
declared  himself  unequal  to  the  exertion  of  travelling 


1 8So]  BISHOP  STUBBS  129 

into  Norfolk  to  officiate  at  the  marriage  of  my  daughter, 
as  I  had  asked  him  to  do.  His  death  occurred  soon 
afterwards.  He  was  originally  a  'servitor 'at  Christ 
Church,  and,  being  a  man  of  great  industry  as  well  as 
ability,  he  gained  a  first  class  shortly  before  his  election 
at  Trinity  College.  He  had  an  extraordinary  amount 
of  learning  on  out-of-the-way  points  of  history.  For 
example,  I  said  to  him  once  :  '  Stubbs,  I  want  to  know 
how  the  Visigoths  of  Spain  behaved  to  their  slaves/ 
'  Go  to  the  Bodleian,'  he  replied  immediately,  '  and 
consult  the  Leges  Barbarorum'  He  was  very  kind- 
hearted,  and  also  had  a  strong  sense  of  humour,  as  in 
later  days  unwise  young  curates  found  to  their  sur- 
prise when  they  did  or  said  some  foolish  thing.  He 
took  the  college  living  of  Navestock,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Oxford  as  Professor  of  Modern  History. 
He  was  also  appointed  Librarian  of  Lambeth  Library 
by  Archbishop  Longley.  Mr.  Gladstone  nominated 
him  to  the  See  of  Chester,  whence  he  was  translated 
to  Oxford.  His  works  are  marked  by  an  extra- 
ordinary accuracy,  the  result  of  a  never-failing  industry 
and  a  remarkable  memory. 

In  1850  I  was  ordained  deacon,  and  in  1852  priest, 
by  Samuel  Wilberforce,  Bishop  of  Oxford.  In  the 
previous  generation  it  had  been  usual  for  the  Bishop 
of  Oxford  to  take  the  qualifications  of  Fellows  of 
colleges  for  granted,  and  not  to  subject  them  to  any 
examination,  except  such  as  could  be  passed  in  their 
own  rooms  by  a  little  paper- work.  That  was,  of 
course,  now  changed.  Bishop  Wilberforce  received  all 
the  candidates,  between  thirty  and  forty,  in  his  palace 
—a  custom  now  universal,  begun  by  Wilberforce. 

The  two  weeks  thus  spent  were  as  happy  as  any  in 
my  life.  Not  an  hour  was  allowed  to  be  lost ;  papers, 
chapel  services,  exercise,  meals,  all  had  their  allotted 
time.  In  the  chapel  we  listened  to  the  Bishop's 
ordination  addresses,  afterwards  published,  and  even 

9 


130  CUDDESDON  [1850 

at  mealtimes  the  conversation,  led  by  Wilberforce 
and  his  chaplains — Archbishop  Trench,  Archdeacon 
Randall,  Archdeacon  Clerke,  Archdeacon  Pott — was 
not  a  little  instructive  to  the  young  candidates  for  the 
ministry.  No  one  ordained  by  Wilberforce  will  ever 
forget  those  happy  days  at  Cuddesdon. 

On  looking  back  on  the  men  whom  I  have  known, 
and  comparing  them  in  respect  to  ability,  I  put 
Wilberforce  first,  regarding  him  and  them  from  all 
points  of  view.  In  his  special  sphere  as  a  Bishop 
he  stood  before  and  above  the  prelates  who  were  his 
contemporaries,  and  there  was  in  him  so  great  a 
reserve  of  power  and  such  versatility  of  mind  that  he 
gave  the  impression  of  there  being  nothing  in  which 
he  would  not  have  surpassed  competitors,  had  he  laid 
aside  other  matters  and  given  himself  to  that  special 
study  and  work.  A  still  more  striking  characteristic 
in  one  so  universally  gifted  was  that  he  held  his  in- 
tellectual powers  well  under  control,  and  did  not  allow 
himself  to  be  hurried  away  on  any  abnormal  path  from 
a  consciousness  of  being  able  to  surmount  its  diffi- 
culties. He  was  a  great  preacher,  greater  than  Magee, 
who  could  alone  be  compared  with  him.  He  was  called 
upon  to  speak  in  public,  and  he  surpassed  the  then 
Lord  Derby  and  Mr.  Gladstone.  He  was  thrown  by 
circumstances  into  the  midst  of  English  social  life, 
and  he  outshone  in  it  those  that  made  it  their  chief 
pursuit  to  shine.  Had  he  been  a  politician,  he  must 
have  been  Prime  Minister.  Lord  Aberdeen  regretted 
that  he  could  not  make  him  Lord  Chancellor.  Had  he 
devoted  himself  to  law,  philosophy,  history,  poetry,  he 
has  shown  that  he  would  have  excelled  in  each.  It  is 
his  great  glory  that,  having  been  so  gifted,  he  sub- 
ordinated every  other  study  and  pursuit  to  that  of 
being,  in  the  most  perfect  manner  of  which  he  was 
capable,  a  Bishop  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

There  is   a  remarkable  unity  in   the  life   of  this 


i85o]     BISHOP  SAMUEL  WILBERFORCE       131 

versatile  man.  Possessed  of  sympathies  both  wide 
and  intense,  he  touched  every  school  within  the 
Church  of  England  and  in  the  English  nation,  and 
appeared  to  draw  nearer,  now  to  one,  and  now  to 
another,  of  them ;  but  throughout  his  whole  career  he 
was  essentially  an  Anglican  of  the  old  historical 
Anglican  type.  It  is  perfectly  true  that  at  one  time 
of  his  life  he  held  himself  consciously,  deliberately, 
and  of  set  purpose,  external  to  the  knot  of  earnest  men 
who  came  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  Tractarians,  a 
position  which  he  held  in  common  with  many  other 
sound  Churchmen,  and  tried  to  recall  them  to  more 
sober  views.  It  is  true,  also,  that  he  took  into  his  own 
hands  in  later  years  the  organization  and  consolidation 
of  the  younger  generation  of  Churchmen,  many  of  whom 
looked  up  to  the  early  Tractarians  as  their  teachers. 
But  there  was  no  inconsistency  in  this ;  it  was  not  the 
Tractarian  party  that  he  was  thus  reconstructing,  but 
it  was  the  old  historical  High  Church  school,  which, 
as  a  Bishop,  himself  belonging  to  that  school,  he 
guided,  directed,  and  led.  As  in  his  early  life  he  re- 
sisted *  Tractarian  extremes,'  so  in  his  later  years  he 
discountenanced  '  Ritualistic  extravagancies,'  '  those 
coruscations,'  as  I  remember  hearing  him  describe 
them,  'which  lift  themselves  up  in  fantastic  shapes 
over  the  stream  of  good  metal  flowing  beneath.'  In 
either  case  he  was  ready  to  give,  and  he  gave,  the 
warmest  sympathy  to  zeal,  earnestness,  and  a  desire 
after  holiness ;  but  he  was  not  carried  away  to  be  a 
partisan  of  anything  narrower  than  the  great  school 
of  thought  represented  by  Hooker,  Andrewes,  Laud, 
Cosin,  Taylor,  Sheldon,  Pearson,  Ken,  Bull,  Wilson, 
Waterland,  and  Hook. 

His  many-sidedness  necessarily  laid  him  open  to 
misrepresentation.  When  a  man  whose  sympathies 
were  confined  to  a  narrow  school  or  clique  found  him- 
self in  sympathy  with  Wilberforce,  and  soon  after  saw 

9—2 


132  CUDDESDON  [1848-60 

Wilberforce  co-operating  with  a  school  to  which  he 
was  himself  opposed,  he  charged  Wilberforce  with 
insincerity,  when  the  latter  was  perfectly  sincere,  the 
explanation  of  his  conduct  being  that  he  touched  the 
partisan  on  this  side  with  one  hand,  and  the  partisan 
on  that  side  with  the  other,  taking  up  into  himself  the 
different  aspects  of  the  truth  which  they  each  held, 
and  combining  them  without  the  sacrifice  of  either. 

The  Bishop's  life  falls  into  three  acts  of  a  drama  : 
the  first  ending  with  the  year  1848,  a  period  of  success 
and  popularity;  the  second  ending  with  1860,  a  period 
of  struggle  and  conflict;  the  third  with  1873,  during 
which  period  he  was,  without  question,  the  foremost 
man  of  the  English  Episcopate,  of  the  English  Church, 
of  the  Anglican  Communion.  He  began  his  clerical 
life  at  Checkendon,  but  within  two  years  wras 
appointed,  by  the  Bishop  of  Winchester,  to  the 
rectory  of  Brighstone  in  the  Isle  of  Wight.  Here  he 
remained  ten  years,  when  he  became  Rector  of  Alver- 
stoke  as  well  as  Archdeacon  of  Surrey.  Alverstoke 
retained  him  only  five  years,  when  he  was  made  Dean 
of  Westminster,  and  within  a  few  months  Bishop  of 
Oxford.  Two  great  sorrows  —  one  belonging  to  his 
earlier  life,  the  other  to  his  later  life — supplied  elements 
of  character  which  might  otherwise  have  been  lacking 
in  one  who  seemed  made  to  be  the  favourite  of  fortune 
and  the  idol  of  his  friends  and  contemporaries. 

The  first  of  these  griefs  was  the  death  of  his  dearly- 
loved  wife  in  the  year  1841.  The  following  exquisite 
lines  were  written  nearly  eight  years  after  his  loss  : 

'  I  sat  within  my  glad  home,  and  round  about  me  played 
Four  children  in  their  merriment,  and  happy  noises  made  ; 
Beside  me  sate  their  mother,  in  her  loveliness  and  light ; 
I  ne'er  saw  any  like  her,  save  in  some  vision  bright. 

'  It  was  in  life's  young  morning  that  our  hearts  together  grew, 
Beneath  its  sparkling  sunlight,  and  in  its  steeping  dew  ; 
And  the  sorrows  and  the  joys  of  a  twelve  years'  changeful  life 
Had  drawn  more  closely  to  me  my  own,  my  blessed  wife. 


1848-60]    BISHOP  SAMUEL  WILBERFORCE    133 

'  Then  at  our  door  One  knocked,  and  we  rose  to  let  Him  in, 
For  the  night  was  wild  and  stormy,  and  to  turn  Him  thence  were 

sin  : 

With  a  "  Peace  be  to  this  household"  His  shelterers  He  blest, 
And  sat  Him  down  among  us  like  some  expected  guest. 

4  The  children's  noise  was  hushed,  the  mother  softly  spoke, 
And  my  inmost  spirit  thrilled  with  the  thoughts  which  in  me  woke  ; 
For  it  seemed  like  other  days  within  my  memory  stored — 
Like  Mamre's  tented  plain  or  Emmaus'  evening  board. 

4  His  form  was  veiled  from  us,  His  mantle  was  not  raised, 
But  we  felt  that  eyes  of  tenderness  and  love  upon  us  gazed  : 
His  lips  we  saw  not  moving,  but  a  deep  and  inward  tone 
Spake  like  thunder's  distant  voices  unto  each  of  us  alone  : 

4  "  Full  often  ye  have  called  Me,  and  bid  Me  to  your  home, 
And  I  have  listened  to  your  words,  and  at  your  prayer  have  come  ; 
And  now  My  voice  is  strange  to  you,  and  *  Wherefore  art  Thou 

here?' 
Your  throbbing  hearts  are  asking,  with  struggling  hope  and  fear. 

'  "  It  was  My  love  which  shielded  your  helpless  infant  days  ; 
It  was  My  care  which  guided  you  through  all  life's  dangerous  ways  ; 
I  joined  your  hearts  together,  I  blessed  your  marriage  vow, — 
Then  trust,  and  be  not  fearful,  though  My  ways  seem  bitter  now." 

*  We  spake  no  word  of  answer,  nor  said  He  any  more, 
But  as  one  about  to  leave  us  He  passed  to  the  door  ; 
Then,  ere  He  crossed  the  threshold,  He  beckoned  with  His  hand, 
That  she  who  sat  beside  me  should  come  at  His  command. 

'  Then  rose  that  wife  and  mother,  and  went  into  the  night ; 
She  followed  at  His  bidding,  and  was  hidden  from  our  sight : 
And  though  my  heart  was  breaking,  I  strove  my  will  to  bow, 
For  I  saw  His  hands  were  pierced,  and  thorns  had  torn  His  brow.' 

It  would  not  be  true  to  say  that  he  was  crushed  by 
this  great  blow,  but  his  ambition  was  crushed  out  of 
him ;  and  while  he  gave  up  the  joyousness  of  life,  he 
devoted  himself  more  earnestly  to  its  work.  He 
poured  life  into  his  diocese,  life  into  his  clergy,  life  into 
the  Colonial  Churches,  life  into  the  great  missionary 
societies,  life  into  the  whole  Anglican  communion ;  he 
changed  the  character  of  Confirmations,  ordinations, 
ministrations,  sermons  ;  he  intensified  and  expanded 


134  CUDDESDON  [1848-60 

the  previously  entertained  conception  of  the  pastor's 
work ;  he  revived  Convocation  and  gave  vigour  to 
Church  Congresses ;  he  encouraged  the  institution  of 
new  societies  for  new  Church  needs ;  he  watched  over 
the  interests  of  the  Church  as  a  vigilant  guardian  in 
Parliament,  giving  the  word,  with  unerring  judgment, 
where  to  resist  and  where  to  give  way. 

Dean  Burgon,  in  his  Lives  of  Twelve  Good  Men,  justly 
attributes  to  him  the  remodelling  of  the  Episcopate  in 
England.  Men  of  a  previous  generation  looked  on 
with  surprise  and  disfavour  at  his  activity  and  ubiquity. 
4 1  saw,'  said  T.  Short  of  Trinity  College — *  I  saw  Sam 
riding  unattended  into  Oxford  to-day ;  Bishops  of 
Oxford  used  not  to  appear  here  except  in  a  carriage 
with  four  horses  and  footmen.'  He  rode  a  powerful 
horse  which  soon  bore  him  from  Cuddesdon  to  Oxford 
and  back.  Occasionally  his  brother-in-law,  John  James, 
would  ask  to  accompany  him  on  his'  return.  '  De- 
lighted, my  dear  James  !  but  I  have  an  engagement  at 
six  o'clock,  so  I  must  gallop.'  *  Oh  yes,'  said  James, 
and  scuttled  after  him  on  his  pony,  generally  half  a 
horse's  length  behind.  After  some  miles  he  turned 
back,  bespattered  with  mud,  but  quite  content  and  very 
happy.  Men  would  walk  miles  for  the  mere  pleasure 
of  looking  the  Bishop  in  the  face  and  shaking  hands 
with  him. 

His  industry  was  marvellous.  On  one  occssion  when 
I  was  staying  at  Cuddesdon,  I  was  assigned  a  bedroom 
which  had  its  own  staircase  into  the  garden.  After 
other  guests  had  gone  to  bed,  Arthur  Gordon  (Lord 
Stanmore)  came  to  sit  with  me,  and  we  went  on  talking 
till  nearly  three  o'clock.  When  Gordon  turned  to  go 
away,  we  found  that  the  servant  had  locked  the  door, 
leading  into  the  rest  of  the  house,  for  the  night.  We 
went  down  into  the  garden,  and,  walking  round  the 
house  found  a  light  still  burning  in  the  Bishop's  bed- 
room. Gordon  threw  up  a  pebble;  immediately  the 


1848-60]    BISHOP  SAMUEL  WILBERFORCE    135 

Bishop  appeared,  with  the  words,  *  Who  walks  so  late 
by  night  ?'  Learning  our  plight,  he  let  Gordon  in,  and 
he  and  I  went  to  bed.  The  next  day,  which  was  Sun- 
day, the  Bishop  confirmed  some  of  the  boys  at  Radley 
School,  making  them  a  striking  address,  preached  to 
the  country  folk  in  Radley  Parish  Church,  and  de- 
livered a  powerful  sermon  before  the  University  of 
Oxford,  returning  in  the  evening  to  Cuddesdon  with 
us,  who  had  accompanied  him.  On  another  occasion, 
when  four  Oxford  men  came  half  an  hour  too  soon  for 
dinner,  'You  are  just  the  men  I  wanted,'  said  the 
Bishop,  and,  sitting  them  down,  he  dictated  four  letters, 
sentence  by  sentence  in  turn  to  each  of  them.  On 
the  occasion  of  my  ordination  I  was  deputed  to  ask 
the  Bishop  that  a  sermon  preached  to  us  might  be 
printed.  *  Ask  the  Bishop/  said  Archdeacon  Pott,  '  as 
soon  as  he  has  left  the  room,'  where  he  was  talking  to 
the  newly  ordained  as  if  he  had  nothing  to  do  except  to 
talk  to  them.  On  my  following  him  into  the  passage,  he 
was  not  to  be  seen.  Pott  laughed.  '  Come  along,'  he 
said ;  'we  shall  find  him.'  Immediately  that  he  had 
closed  the  door  the  Bishop  had  run  off  full  speed  to  his 
dressing-room  at  the  other  end  of  the  house,  and  we 
found  him  with  his  dress  half  changed,  about  to  start 
in  two  minutes  for  the  train  to  take  him  to  London 
to  attend  an  important  meeting.  He  replied  to  my 
request,  said  good-bye,  and  was  off. 

The  Bishop  was  kept  up  amid  his  incessant  work 
by  a  strong  sense  of  humour  and  a  power  of  finding 
amusement.  Before  the  trials  of  life  came  to  temper 
his  original  disposition,  he  was  full  of  merriment,  and 
he  never  altogether  lost  that  quality.  When  he  had 
time  for  it,  no  one  was  fonder  of  a  jest  which  would  not 
give  pain  to  others.  On  one  occasion  a  large  party 
of  Oxford  men  had  come  to  Cuddesdon  to  dinner  at 
Christmastide.  After  dinner,  as  we  were  sitting  in 
the  drawing-room,  the  Bishop  stood  up  and  said  in  a 


136  CUDDESDON  [1860-75 

loud  and  joyous  voice,  '  It  is  Christmas,  and  we  must 
all  sing  a  Christmas  carol.'  We  had  gathered  round 
the  piano,  when  the  Bishop  saw  that  Archdeacon  Clerke 
was  still  sitting  in  his  chair.  The  Archdeacon,  with 
many  excellencies,  had  a  voice  like  a  badly-creaking 
door.  '  Come,  Archdeacon !'  said  the  Bishop.  '  Oh, 
but  I  can't  sing,'  he  replied.  '  No  excuses !  Come 
along  !'  cried  the  Bishop,  and,  striding  across  the  room, 
he  took  him  by  the  arm  and  brought  him  to  the  piano. 
'  Now  what  carol  shall  we  sing  ?'  Someone  suggested 
'  King  Wenceslaus,'  and,  it  appeared,  one  of  those 
present  could  play  the  accompaniment.  '  Remember, 
Archdeacon,'  said  the  Bishop,  '  that  we  all  hang  upon 
you.  Now  let  us  begin.'  We  got  through  the  carol, 
led  chiefly  by  the  Bishop.  '  There,  Archdeacon,'  he 
said,  'see  how  much  we  owe  to  you!'  At  the  same 
time,  lest  the  dear  old  man  should  be  hurt,  he  kept 
his  own  arm  affectionately  linked  with  his  on  the  pre- 
tence of  not  allowing  him  to  run  away.  The  Bishop's 
manner  towards  anyone  on  whom  he  seemed  to  be 
passing  a  joke  was  such  as  to  make  it  impossible  for 
him  to  be  hurt  by  it. 

The  Bishop's  second  great  grief  was  the  secession 
of  his  brother,  Robert  I.  Wilberforce,  and  of  his  dearly- 
loved  daughter,  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  following 
are  extracts  from  the  Bishop's  diary  when  the  news 
came  of  the  last  step  having  been  taken :  '  H.  and  E. 
have  joined  the  debased  communion.  Utterly  crushed.' 
The  next  day,  '  A  pain  at  my  heart  by  night  and  by  day 
for  beloved  E.  and  for  H.'  The  next :  *  Ever  the  pain  in 
my  heart  for  E.'  And  again  :  '  As  if  I  could  see  H.  and 
E.  bartering  away  their  birthright  of  Gospel  freedom 
and  eternal  truth.'  At  the  same  time  he  wrote  to  Sir 
Charles  Anderson  :  '  The  insult  to  our  Church  from 
one  so  near  to  us,  the  reproaches  I  shall  have  per- 
sonally to  bear  from  those  who  little  know  how  I  have 
striven,  guarded,  and  prayed  against  this  in  all  its 


i86o-73]    BISHOP  SAMUEL  WILBERFORCE    137 

most  distant  approaches,  the  separation  from  my  child, 
and  the  fear  for  their  souls,  all  together  press  upon 
me  more  heavily  than  I  am  well  able  to  bear.'  And 
to  his  son  Ernest:  *  The  whole  thing  lies  so  clearly 
before  me  that  I  am  for  ever  needing  to  discipline  my 
spirit  not  to  feel  unkindly  to  one  who  has  robbed  me 
of  my  only  daughter  in  blood,  and  brought  reproach 
on  the  Church  which  I  have,  however  imperfectly,  ever 
endeavoured  to  serve.  As  to  the  Papistry  itself,  I 
only  more  than  ever  see  it  to  be  the  great  cloaca 
into  which  all  vile  corruptions  of  Christianity  run 
naturally,  and  loathe  it.'  The  charge  of  Romanizing 
brought  against  Wilberforce,  as  it  was  brought 
against  Laud,  was  utterly  false,  but  in  both  cases  it 
served  the  purposes  of  the  opponents  of  the  two 
prelates. 

How  little  Wilberforce  sympathized  with  the  dis- 
loyal developments  of  Ritualism  may  be  seen  by  his 
latest  public  utterance,  addressed  to  the  Rural  Deans 
of  his  diocese  four  days  before  his  death  :  '  There  is 
a  growing  desire  to  introduce  novelties  (such  as 
incense,  a  multitude  of  lights  in  the  chancel,  and  so 
on).  Now,  these  and  such  things  are,  honestly  and 
truly,  alien  to  the  Church  of  England.  Do  not  hesitate 
to  treat  them  as  such.  All  this  appears  to  me  to 
indicate  a  fidgety  anxiety  to  make  everything  in  our 
churches  assimilate  to  a  foreign  usage  ...  as  if  our 
grand  old  Anglican  communion  contrasted  unfavour- 
ably with  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  habitual  lan- 
guage held  by  many  men  sounds  as  if  they  were 
ashamed  of  our  Church  and  its  position ;  it  is  a  sort 
of  apology  for  the  Church  of  England  as  compared 
with  the  Church  of  Rome.  Why,  I  would  as  soon 
think  of  apologizing  for  the  virtue  of  my  mother  to 
a  harlot !  I  have  no  sympathy  in  the  world  with  such 
a  feeling.  I  abhor  this  fidgety  desire  to  make  every- 
thing un-Anglican.  This  is  not  a  grand  development, 


138  CUDDESDON  [1860-73 

as  some  think.  It  is  a  decrepitude.  It  is  not  some- 
thing very  sublime  and  impressive,  but  something 
very  feeble  and  contemptible.'  He  went  on  to  con- 
demn auricular  and  habitual  confession — '  one  of  the 
worst  developments  of  Popery ' ;  the  *  new  doctrine  ' 
of  fasting  Communion  —  *a  detestable  materialism'; 
non-communicating  attendance — 'the  substitution  of 
a  semi-materialistic  presence  for  the  actual  presence 
of  Christ  in  the  soul  of  the  faithful  communicant,' 
which  is  '  an  abomination,'  *  a  corollary  on  the  practice 
of  fasting  Communion ':  '  the  sacrificing  priest  stands 
between  your  soul  and  your  God,  and  makes  atone- 
ment for  you.'  With  these  his  final  words  before 
them,  it  is  strange  that  any  should  venture  to  charge 
Bishop  Wilberforce  with  disloyalty  to  the  English 
Church.  '  I  am  said  to  be  unfaithful  to  my  own 
Church,  and  a  concealed  Papist.  I  cannot  say  that 
I  do  not  feel  such  attacks.  It  is  impossible  not  to  be 
pained  by  them.  It  is  hard  to  bear.  But,  after  all, 
it  is  nothing  when  weighed  against  the  testimony  of 
one's  own  conscience;  it  is  nothing  to  make  one 
recede  from  the  course  which  one  believes  to  be 
right,  or  to  shake  one's  resolutions,  by  God's  help, 
to  maintain  it.'  These,  too,  were  some  of  his  last 
words. 

When  the  news  of  the  accident  whereby  Wilber- 
force's  life  was  sacrificed  on  the  Surrey  Downs  on 
April  19,  1873,  became  known,  a  thrill  passed  through 
the  Church  and  through  English  society  such  as  is 
seldom  felt.  The  following  lines,  made  public  at  the 
time  by  Mr.  Stone,  will  recall  something  of  the  feel- 
ings which  then  prevailed  : 

'  Another  beacon  light  gone  out  above  us  ; 
Another  buoy-bell  stilled  upon  the  sea  ; 
Another  pilot,  of  the  hearts  that  love  us, 
Passed  from  our  company  ! 


i86o-73l    BISHOP  SAMUEL  WILBERFORCE    139 

*  An  hour  ago,  and  at  the  helm  serenely, 

His  steadfast  eye  upon  the  steadfast  star, 
We  saw  him  stand,  and,  lovingly  as  keenly, 
Steer  for  the  haven  far. 


*  Still  do  we  see — not  now  the  changeful  splendour, 

Lambent  or  sparkling,  leaping  through  the  night ; 
But  the  abiding  glow,  most  deep,  most  tender — 
A  great  life's  lasting  light. 

'  Still  do  we  hear — not  now  the  silvern  laughter 

We  loved  to  catch  'mid  many  a  mightier  tone  ; 
But  this — the  golden  cadence  that  hereafter 
All  memory  shall  own. 

'  Still  do  we  hold — not  now  the  presence  human, 

Kind,  fearless  eye,  frank  hand,  and  vigorous  form  ; 
But  closer  yet,  the  inner  and  the  true  man, 
That  steered  us  through  the  storm  ; 

'  To  guide  us  still  who  loved  him  !  cheering,  warning, 

Past  rock  and  shoal  and  through  the  blinding  foam — 
Until  the  homeward-bound  at  the  clear  morning 
Shall  be  at  last  at  home. 

*  Ah,  Saint,  there  are  who  in  the  heavenly  places, 

After  the  vision  of  the  Form  Divine, 
Shall  greet  not  one  among  the  blissful  faces 
More  wistfully  than  thine  !' 

It  was  the  custom  of  Bishop  Wilberforce  at  his 
ordinations  to  invite  someone  whose  life  or  power  of 
conversation  might  interest  the  young  men  gathered 
in  Cuddesdon  Palace.  At  the  time  of  my  ordination 
his  guest  was  Bishop  Whittingham  of  Maryland.  He 
and  his  chaplain,  who  accompanied  him,  had  lately 
been  on  the  Continent,  and  were  much  interested  by 
Dean  Hirscher's  proposals  for  a  reformation,  which 
Bishop  Cleveland  Coxe  made  known  to  English 
readers  in  his  Sympathies  of  the  Continent.  They  had 
also  just  read  the  Practical  Working  of  the  Church  of 
Spain,  a  book  which  I  had  published,  containing  the 
experiences  of  myself  and  my  brother  and  sister  in 


140  CUDDESDON  [1850 

the  Peninsula.  *  I  make  two  demands,'  said  Bishop 
Whittingham  at  the  Bishop  of  Oxford's  table,  *  in  the 
name  of  my  countrymen,  of  the  Church  of  England. 
We  have  a  right  to  ask  of  you,  surrounded  as  you  are 
with  magnificent  libraries,  and  having  opportunities 
for  learned  leisure,  to  publish  a  critical  edition  of  the 
first  four  (Ecumenical  Councils  in  Greek,  Latin,  and 
English ;  and  we  ask  that  measures  be  taken  for 
exhibiting  the  true  character  of  the  Anglican  Church 
to  those  who  are  ignorant  of  it,  and  we  call  on  the 
English  Church  to  take  the  lead  in  such  an  effort.' 
His  second  demand  was  partially  accomplished  by  the 
institution,  two  or  three  years  afterwards,  of  the 
Anglo-Continental  Society,  of  which  Bishop  Wilber- 
force,  Bishop  Charles  Wordsworth,  and  Bishop 
Whittingham  became  the  first  Episcopal  patrons. 
Bishop  Whittingham's  first  suggestion  to  the  new 
society  was  that  of  the  republication  of  Casaubon's 
letter  to  Cardinal  Perron,  a  suggestion  that  was 
carried  out  in  the  year  1875,  when  a  Latin  edition 
of  the  work,  with  a  preface  by  Bishop  Christopher 
Wordsworth,  was  brought  out  in  England  by  the 
Anglo-Continental  Society,  while  at  the  same  time 
an  English  edition  of  it  was  issued  by  himself  in 
America. 

This  treatise  of  Casaubon  was  Bishop  Whittingham's 
favourite  theological  work.  When  about  to  reprint 
it,  he  declared  that  it  contained  in  the  choicest  and 
most  scholarly  language  his  fatherly  counsel  and 
advice  on  the  topics  therein  treated,  and  he  said  that 
he  preferred  reprinting  it  to  writing  anything  new 
himself,  or  adopting  the  words  of  any  living  author, 
because  of  Casaubon's  known  theological  learning, 
and  also  because  his  work  had  been  revised  by  the 
great  Bishop  Andrewes.  Few  men  of  the  present 
generation  had  so  wide  an  acquaintance  with  theology 
as  Bishop  Whittingham  had ;  his  library  consisted 


i872]  BISHOP  WHITTINGHAM  141 

of  16,000  volumes  collected  by  himself,  containing 
every  work  of  importance  on  the  controversy  with 
Rome.  This  library  he  left  as  an  heirloom  to  his 
successors  in  the  See  of  Maryland. 

In  1872  the  Bishop  repaired  to  Europe  partly  for 
the  sake  of  recruiting  his  health,  partly  to  represent 
and  act  for  the  American  Church  in  the  crisis  of  the 
Old  Catholic  revolt  against  Rome.  In  the  latter 
capacity  he  attended  the  Old  Catholic  Congress  at 
Cologne,  where  he  met  Bishop  Harold  Browne  and 
Bishop  Christopher  Wordsworth.  Here  he  took  an 
active  part  with  those  prelates  in  formulating  a  basis 
of  intercommunion,  which  was  adopted  at  a  meeting 
of  a  committee  appointed,  on  the  motion  of  Bishop 
Reinkens,  with  a  view  to  the  restoration  of  unity. 

The  action  of  this  committee  led  naturally  to  the 
Conferences  of  Bonn,  and  resulted  in  bringing  about 
a  fellow-feeling  between  the  Anglican  and  Old  Catholic 
Churches. 

Bishop  Whittingham  was  a  typical  Anglican  Church- 
man of  the  school  of  Andrewes.  An  Anglican,  not 
a  Gallican,  he  had  sympathy  with  everything  that  was 
primitive  and  with  nothing  that  was  mediaeval.  To 
him  Popery  was  one  thing,  Catholicism  was  another. 
Popery  was  the  corruption  of  Catholicism ;  Catholi- 
cism was  pure  Christianity  not  yet  corrupted  by 
Popery,  or  having  happily  rid  itself  of  Popish  cor- 
ruption. '  He  regarded  Romanism,'  said  Bishop 
Atkinson  of  North  Carolina,  *  as  an  innovation  on  the 
primitive  Church  doctrine  and  polity ;  as  the  original 
cause  for  the  divisions  of  Christendom,  which  he  so 
deeply  deplored ;  and  as  the  author  of  additions  to  the 
primitive  faith,  which  Cardinal  Newman  and  others 
called  developments,  but  which  he  rejected  as  excres- 
censes  and  corruptions.'  '  He  disliked  mediaevalism,' 
says  his  biographer,  '  because  he  knew  the  old  to  be 
far  better.' 


H2  OXFORD  [1850 

Bishop  Whittingham  took  a  leading  part  in  a  great 
crisis  of  the  American  Church,  with  the  happiest 
results.  The  Southern  Bishops  had  sided  with  the 
Confederates  in  the  war  between  the  North  and  the 
South,  and  when  the  war  was  over  they  did  not  know 
how  they  should  be  regarded  by  their  brethren  of  the 
North.  A  General  Convention  of  the  Church  was 
held  in  Philadelphia  in  1865.  The  Southern  Bishops 
were  doubtful  of  recognition,  and  sent  to  inquire  in 
what  spirit  and  on  what  terms  they  could  resume 
their  seats.  Bishop  Whittingham  sprang  to  his  feet. 
'  Tell  those  Bishops,'  he  cried,  '  to  come  in,  and  to  trust 
to  the  love  and  honour  of  their  brethren  !'  As  they 
filed  in,  he  greeted  the  foremost  of  them  with  such  an 
embrace  as  Anglo-Saxon  temperaments  and  manners 
would  permit,  and  the  other  Northern  Bishops  followed 
his  example.  No  word  of  politics  was  spoken,  and  a 
threatened  schism  was  averted  by  the  spirit  of  brotherly 
love. 

Soon  after  my  return  to  Oxford  from  travelling  on  the 
Continent  with  Lord  Lothian,  I  received  a  request  from 
Lord  Panmure,  afterwards  Lord  Dalhousie,  to  travel 
with  his  ward,  Lord  Abercrombie.  It  was  a  tempting 
offer,  but  it  was  made  upon  the  condition  of  my  accept- 
ing it  for  five  years.  I  did  not  feel  that  I  should  be 
justified  in  doing  this  unless  I  resigned  my  Fellow- 
ship, and  that  involved  giving  up  my  Oxford  life, 
which  I  dearly  loved.  On  my  declining  it,  Lord 
Panmure  asked  me  to  recommend  to  him  a  suitable 
tutor  for  his  ward,  saying  that,  owing  to  circumstances, 
he  wished  him  to  be  a  High  Churchman,  but  with  no 
inclination  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  Walking  with 
E.  S.  Foulkes,  Fellow  of  Jesus  College,  a  few  days 
after  receiving  Lord  Panmure's  letter,  I  mentioned  it  to 
him,  and  he  at  once  asked  me  to  recommend  him  :  *  for,' 
he  said,  'you  know  nothing  could  induce  me  ever  to 
join  the  Church  of  Rome.'  Mr.  Foulkes  was  appointed, 


i8So]  E.  S.  FOULKES  143 

and  went  with  Lord  Abercrombie  to  Paris.  There  he 
fell  in  with  Archdeacon  Robert  Isaac  Wilberforce,  and 
by  his  persuasions,  added  to  a  personal  disagreement 
with  Lord  Panmure,  he  forthwith  joined  the  Church 
of  Rome.  At  the  same  time  he  wrote  a  pamphlet 
stating  the  cause  of  his  conversion,  and  saying  he 
intended  to  travel  in  Greece.  I  sharply  reviewed  the 
pamphlet  in  the  Christian  Remembrancer,  and  added 
that  I  hoped  that  while  traversing  the  Grecian  isles 
he  would  be  enabled  to  find  the  herb  'moly'  there 
growing,  which  might  restore  him  to  his  original 
estate.  A  few  years  passed  and  he  found  his  '  moly '; 
and  having  duly  digested  it,  he  returned  to  the  Church 
of  England,  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind :  for,  on 
close  examination,  he  saw  that  the  piety  and  belief  of 
the  Roman  Church  was  inferior  in  type  and  in  purity 
to  those  of  the  Church  of  England.  After  his  return, 
he  said  that  one  of  the  points  that  had  much  affected 
him  was  the  memory  of  the  English  parsonage,  and 
particularly  that  of  Mixbury,  with  which  he  was  well 
acquainted.  There  he  had  seen  the  patriarchal  Mr. 
Palmer,  a  man  of  cultivation  and  a  fine  scholar,  per- 
fectly contented  with  the  care  of  his  few  village  sheep 
and  with  training  his  children  to  lead  noble  lives. 
Three  of  his  sons  he  gave  to  the  service  of  the  Church 
(William,  Edwin,  Horsley),  and  one  to  the  State 
(Roundell,  Lord  Selborne),  and  his  daughters  did  the 
work  of  Sisters  of  Mercy,  without  the  title,  dress, 
or  paraphernalia  of  enrolled  Sisters.  There  was 
nothing  abroad  to  compare  with  such  a  household  : 
not  the  priest's  establishment,  with  its  one  maid- 
servant, a  source  of  scandal  not  of  honour;  not  the 
seminary,  which  inculcated  its  petty  rules  and  its  cut- 
and-dried  dogmas,  without  encouraging  thought ;  not 
the  nunnery,  into  which  Liguori  allows  that  the 
majority  of  occupants  enter  without  any  call  to  such  a 
life;  not  the  sisterhood,  each  member  of  which  regards 


144  OXFORD  [1850 

herself  as  responsible  to  her  own  Superior,  instead  of 
to  the  parish  priests.  Another  thing  that  made  it 
impossible  for  him  to  continue  in  the  Roman  com- 
munion was  his  knowledge  of  Church  history,  acquired 
before  the  duty  of  looking  at  the  past  and  present 
through  none  but  Vatican  spectacles  had  been  felt, 
and  impossible  to  be  afterwards  obliterated.  Yet  it 
requires  courage  to  acknowledge  an  error,  and  this 
natural  cowardice  may  account  for  there  being  so 
few  footsteps  directed  back  by  those  who  have  been 
bitterly  disappointed  at  what  they  found  as  the  goal 
of  an  enthusiastic  search.  Mr.  Foulkes  ended  his  life 
as  Vicar  of  St.  Mary's,  Oxford. 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  South  of  Spain— The  Alhambra— Cordova— Seville. 

THOUGH  unwilling  to  engage  myself  for  five  years,  I 
accepted  an  offer  of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch  to  travel 
in  Spain  with  his  son,  Lord  Henry  Scott,  now  Lord 
Montagu,  for  some  weeks  in  the  spring  of  1851.  We 
landed  at  Gibraltar,  and,  buying  our  horses,  rode  on 
them  by  Ronda  to  Granada,  and  thence  to  Cordova 
and  Seville.  Arriving  at  Granada  shortly  before 
Easter,  I  read  the  prayers  of  the  Church  of  England 
for  the  English  residents  in  that  city,  by  which  I 
exposed  myself  to  the  liability  of  immediate  expulsion 
from  Spain.  We  spent  a  week  at  Granada,  the  greater 
part  of  which  was  devoted  to  wandering  among  the 
halls  of  the  Alhambra.  At  this  time  the  paint  had 
not  been  added,  which  I  believe  has  now  been  sup- 
plied, and  I  am  glad  of  it.  The  purpose  of  the  paint 
is  to  restore  the  walls  and  ceilings  to  their  old 
appearance,  but  the  faded  remnants  of  colour  were  far 
better  adapted  to  produce  the  impression  of  dreamy 
beauty  than  any  restoration  could  be.  The  Alhambra 
must  always  be  the  most  graceful  and  beautiful 
of  palaces,  but  its  dreaminess  must  be  lost  in  its 
restored  brilliancy.  Anyone  desirous  of  seeing  the 
patios  in  their  faded  glory  should  turn  to  the  repre- 
sentations of  Owen  Jones  and  Murphy;  and  anyone 
who  would  understand  the  fascinations  of  the  place 
must  read  and  re-read  Washington  Irving's  Tales  of 
the  Alhambra. 

145  10 


146  THE  MOSQUE  OF  CORDOVA         [1851 

The  Alhambra  was  the  work  of  the  Arab  dynasty 
in  its  decay;  the  Mosque  of  Cordova  belongs  to  an 
earlier  part  of  their  history.  This  is  the  strangest, 
though  not  the  most  beautiful,  building  used  for  re- 
ligious worship  in  Europe. 

The  space  occupied  by  the  mosque  is  a  parallelo- 
gram, measuring  from  north  to  south  410  feet,  and 
from  east  to  west  440  feet.  Above  this  space  stretches 
a  flat  roof  only  35  feet  from  the  ground,  supported  by 
rows  of  pillars,  which  divide  the  440  feet  into  nineteen 
aisles,  running  from  north  to  south,  while  the  narrower 
aisles  from  east  to  west  are  no  less  than  thirty-one. 
Small  as  is  the  distance  between  roof  and  floor,  the 
horseshoe  arches  over  the  aisles  are  double,  the  lower 
arch  being  a  few  feet  below  the  upper  arch.  Like 
other  Mahometan  religious  buildings,  the  mosque 
had  a  sacred  point  representing  the  direction  of 
Mecca,  actual  or  conventional.  This  was  formed  at 
Cordova  by  an  octagon  chapel,  still  remaining,  entered 
by  a  horseshoe  archway,  the  sides  of  which  are 
adorned  by  flashing,  glistening  mosaic,  more  brilliant 
than  that  of  Constantinople,  Venice,  Rome  or  Sicily. 
The  mosque  was  begun  in  the  eighth  and  finished  in 
the  eleventh  century. 

The  date  on  which  I  visited  Cordova  was  the  month 
of  May,  1851.  Exactly  a  thousand  years  earlier,  and 
in  the  same  month,  there  burst  out  the  persecution,  in 
which  there  suffered  those  known  as  the  Martyrs  of 
Cordova.  The  Mozarabs,  who  lived  in  the  magnificent 
capital  (then  containing  a  million  inhabitants)  of  the 
splendid  Ommiad  Caliphs,  were  tempted  to  forget 
their  faith  and  embrace  Mahometanism.  Two  men, 
Eulogius  and  Alvar,  set  themselves  to  resist  this 
tendency,  and  under  their  teaching  a  sharp  feeling  of 
antagonism  sprang  up  between  the  Arabs  and  the 
Christians.  The  Moslem  populace  seized  two  Christ- 
ians, Perfectus  and  John,  and  they  were  beheaded. 


i85i]        THE  MARTYRS  OF  CORDOVA          147 

This  led  to  an  extraordinary  outburst  of  zeal  on  the 
part  of  the  Christians.  One  and  another  presented 
themselves  before  the  Kadi,  declared  themselves 
Christians,  and  reviled  Mahomet.  They  were  at 
once  beheaded,  and  their  bodies  were  tied  to  stakes 
planted  by  the  side  of  the  Guadalquivir.  Eight  bodies 
were  standing  together  in  a  ghastly  row  by  the  side 
of  the  river  just  a  thousand  years  ago.  In  the  year 
851  thirteen  martyrs  died,  in  852  eleven,  in  853  six 
more,  and  so  on.  In  857  Eulogius  was  himself  ap- 
prehended for  concealing  a  girl  converted  by  him 
whom  the  Moslems  regarded  as  a  renegade.  A  friend 
who  was  on  the  Council  of  Judges  besought  Eulogius 
to  temporize,  promising  him  safety  and  future  liberty 
of  action.  Eulogius  smiled,  and,  putting  his  friend 
aside,  preached  Christianity  to  the  Council.  He  was 
beheaded,  together  with  his  convert  Leocritia.  This 
was  the  last  flash  of  light  that  emanated  from  the 
Mozarabic  Church,  soon  to  be  swallowed  up  by  the 
new  Church  of  Leon  and  Castile,  which  superseded 
and  took  the  place  of  the  old  Spanish  Church,  acknow- 
ledging an  authority  in  the  Bishop  of  Rome  never  till 
then  admitted  by  Toledo. 

I  determined  before  leaving  Spain  to  test  some  of 
the  peasantry,  to  learn  what  they  practised  and  what 
they  believed,  remembering  at  the  same  time  that  such 
a  test  could  not  but  be  inadequate.  The  subjects 
which  I  selected  were  the  Bula  de  la  Cruzada  and  the 
worship  of  St.  Mary.  The  Bula  is  a  square  piece  of 
paper  emanating  from  the  Pope,  and  sold  to  every 
Spaniard  and  Spanish  woman  who  will  buy  it ;  and 
its  effect  is  to  enable  the  purchaser  to  enjoy  indul- 
gences (which  without  it  he  cannot  do),  and  to  excuse 
him  from  all  fasting  except  on  a  few  days  of  the  year. 
The  ordinary  price  of  the  Bula  is  5d.  A  rich  man  is 
charged  7|d.,  or  even  lod.  It  was  calculated  that  till 
of  late  years  the  Pope  and  the  Spanish  Church  earned 

10 — 2 


148  THE  SPANISH  CHURCH  [1851 

£200,000  a  year  by  the  sale.  The  Bula  is  the  joy  and 
the  supposed  safeguard  of  every  religious  Spaniard. 
1  Have  you  got  your  Bula  ?'  is  the  first  question  asked 
by  the  priest  at  a  death-bed,  and  to  the  living  it  gives 
an  extraordinary  sense  of  spiritual  security.  Cart- 
loads arrive  every  year,  and  are  deposited  at  various 
churches,  where  they  may  be  bought ;  and  their 
arrival  each  mid-Lent  is  celebrated,  says  Blanco 
White,  by  some  curious  children's  sports,  in  which 
the  old  Bulas  (no  longer  of  use)  are  made  up  into  hats 
for  the  boys  and  girls,  and  they  dance  round  the 
figure  of  an  old  woman,  which  represents  Lent  and  is 
sawn  in  two  to  the  cry  of  '  Saw  the  old  hag  asunder  !' 
('  Asserrar  la  vieja  la  piccara  pelleja  !')  The  three  men 
whom  I  first  questioned  were  Roque,  Nicola,  and 
Jose.  The  first  of  these  was  an  ordinary  yokel,  the 
second  a  shrewd,  non-religious  man  of  ordinary  in- 
telligence, the  third  a  warm-hearted  believer  in  all 
that  his  priests  told  him  to  believe. 

'  Have  you  the  Bula,  Roque  ?' 

'  No,  sefior ' — with  a  face  showing  a  consciousness 
of  neglect. 

*  Have  you  the  Bula,  Nicola  ?' 

1  No,  senor  ;  that  is  bought  by  the  women  more  than 
the  men  now.' 

1  But  you  can  have  no  benefit  from  indulgences  in 
that  case.' 

'  No,  senor ' — with  the  most  perfect  indifference. 

4  Do  you  fast  on  Friday  and  other  fast-days  ?' 

'  No,  senor.' 

*  Are  you  not  bound  to  do  so  if  you  have  not  the 
Bula?'  ' 

*  Why,   senor,   we    say   if   these    indulgences   and 
dispensations  are  of  any  avail  when  we  have  paid  five- 
pence,  or,  if  we  wanted  a  double  quantity  of  indul- 
gences, tenpence,  they  will  be  of  avail  without  it.   And  if 
I  may  eat  meat  without  sin  when  I  have  paid  fivepence 


i85i]  SPANISH  BELIEFS  149 

for  a  piece  of  paper,  it  can  be  no  great  sin  to  eat  it 
whether  I  have  paid  the  fivepence  or  not.' 

'  Have  you  the  Bula,  Jose  ?' 

'  Yes,  sefior ;  I  bought  it  at  such  and  such  a  church 
for  fivepence.' 

1  And  what  good  will  it  do  you  ?' 

'  I  shall  be  able  to  get  indulgences.' 

'  And  what  good  will  they  do  you  ?' 

*  They  will  take  me  out  of  purgatory,  and  make  up 
for  my  not  having  done  penances.' 

'  And  you  don't  fast  ?' 
1  No,  sefior ;  I  have  my  Bula.' 

'Which  do  you  pray  to  most,  Jose  —  Our  Lord  or 
Our  Lady  ?' 

*  As  much  one  as  the  other,  sefior.' 

1  Nicola,  to  which  of  the  two  do  Spaniards  most 
commonly  pray  ?' 

'Some  to  one,  some  to  the  other.' 

The  statements  of  Jose  and  Nicola  were  singularly 
moderate.  In  the  last  Spanish  church  that  I  entered, 
at  Cadiz,  I  counted  the  images  and  pictures  that  it  con- 
tained, and  found  fifteen  of  Nuestra  Sefiora,  five  of 
Nuestro  Senor,  a  very  conspicuous  one  of  S.  Philo- 
mena  (a  saint  made  out  of  a  broken  stone's  inscription 
and  a  Jesuit's  much-needed  interpretation),  and  several 
of  other  saints.  The  relative  number  of  pictures  re- 
presented, it  seemed  to  me,  the  relative  number  of 
worshippers  of  our  Lord  and  our  Lady  in  Spain. 
Some  years  ago,  when  the  Carlists  were  in  the 
ascendant,  during  the  procession  of  Nuestra  Senora  de 
las  Angustias  to  the  Cathedral  of  Granada,  cries  were 
raised  :  '  Viva  la  santisima  Maria,  y  muerte  a  todos  los 
dios  !'  (literally)  '  Live  the  most  holy  Mary,  and  death 
to  all  the  gods!'  meaning,  'Hurrah  for  most  holy  Mary! 
we  want  none  other  gods  but  her.' 

'  Do  those  who  worship  St.  Mary  count  her  to  be  a 
woman,  or  something  more  than  a  woman  ?' 


i5o  THE  SPANISH  CHURCH  [1851 

'  She  is  generally  considered  far  above  a  woman.' 

'  But,'  said  Jose,  '  I  consider  her  to  be  no  more  than 
a  woman.' 

1  And  yet  you  pray  to  her  ?' 

*  Si,  sefior,  certainly.' 

Another  Spaniard,  Antonio,  was  a  man  who,  unlike 
Nicola,  had  a  bitter  hatred  of  the  Spanish  Church. 
Going  into  a  church  with  me  on  Good  Friday,  he  said : 
1  Sefior,  you  will  not  object  to  go  through  the  super- 
stitious ceremony  of  crossing  yourself?  Do  as  I  do.' 
He  knelt  down,  crossed  himself,  and  appeared  sunk  in 
devotion,  and  on  coming  out  of  the  church  made  a  low 
genuflexion  to  the  altar,  knelt  down,  crossed  himself, 
and  retired.  '  Did  you  go  through  the  foolish,  super- 
stitious ceremony,  senor  ?'  he  asked  as  soon  as  we 
were  outside.  I  asked  him  how  he  could  be  guilty  of 
such  mockery.  'Ah,  sefior,'  he  answered,  shrugging 
his  shoulders,  'you  do  not  know  Spain.  Everybody 
here  must  be  a  puro  Cristiano  —  that  is,  a  Roman 
Catholic — and  they  dare  not  express  themselves  freely. 
A  little  while  ago  they  would  have  been  thrown  into 
the  dungeons  of  the  Inquisitions.  I  myself  was  brought 
before  the  Bishop  of  Malaga  because  two  Englishmen, 
with  whom  I  was,  did  not  kneel  at  the  Elevation,  and 
no  one  knows  for  what  he  may  find  himself  in  the 
prisons  of  the  State.'  This  led  him  on  to  a  denuncia- 
tion of  the  lives  of  the  clergy. 

The  indifference,  unbelief,  and  superstition  preva- 
lent throughout  Spain  point  to  the  necessity  of  such  a 
reform  as  that  which  has  been  organized  under  Bishop 
Cabrera.  Already  there  were  indications  of  the  move- 
ment connected  with  the  name  of  Bishop  Cabrera, 
though  he  himself  was,  I  believe,  at  this  time  a  student 
in  the  Escuelas  Pias.  Archdeacon  Burroughs  showed 
to  me  two  letters  written  by  a  Canon  of  one  of  the 
Southern  cathedrals  praying  for  the  help  of  the 
Anglican  Church  in  bringing  about  reformation. 


i85i]       ASPIRATIONS  AFTER  REFORM         151 

Being  asked  to  state  his  demands  more  definitely,  the 
Canon  wrote  a  letter  in  Latin,  dated  October  15,  1851, 
in  which,  having  first  expressed  his  own  faith  as  being 
in  conformity  with  the  Apostles'  and  the  Nicene  Creed 
and  Jewel's  Apology  for  the  Church  of  England,  he 
expressed  his  desire  to  see  '  the  true  faith  of  Christ 
in  Spain  placed  under  the  powerful  shadow  and  pro- 
tection of  the  Anglican  Church.'  The  Spaniards,  he 
said,  having  only  Romanism  before  their  eyes,  were 
losing  faith  and  morals,  and  sinking  into  atheism  or 
irregular  belief.  *  Will  you,  then,'  he  wrote, '  associate 
yourselves  together  for  the  work  of  the  Gospel  in 
these  regions  ?  Will  you  in  your  charity  lead  this 
people  to  the  true  faith  of  Christ?  Will  you  recall 
them  from  atheism  or  indifferentism  to  the  Church  of 
God  ?  Establish  Evangelical  missions  and  support 
them  with  your  pious  alms.  The  Romanists  labour 
night  and  day  to  propagate  their  errors;  they  send 
their  fanatical  missionaries  round  the  world,  and  all 
sorts  of  sectaries  run  eagerly  to  the  work.  But  ye, 
who  profess  the  true  faith  of  Christ,  will  ye  leave  a 
thirsty  people  to  perish,  and  give  them  naught  out  of 
your  abundance  when  they  ask?  Nay,  my  most 
beloved  brethren ;  for  if  the  Lord  hath  given  you  five 
talents,  ye  will  gain  five  other  talents  to  be  good  and 
faithful  servants.'  The  letter  ended  with  a  salutation 
from  'your  brethren  in  captivity'  to  'the  holy  Anglican 
Church  of  God,'  and  begged  for  the  transmission  of 
some  of  the  works  of  the  English  reformers  for  trans- 
lation, 'that  the  light  of  the  Gospel  may  be  spread 
through  these  regions  and  prepare  the  soil  for  re- 
ceiving the  seed  of  Truth  and  Life.'  It  was  not  for 
seventeen  years  after  this  time  that  anyone  was  allowed 
by  law  to  profess  himself  a  Protestant  in  Spain. 

On  arriving  at   Seville,    I   found   at   the   Hotel  la 
Reina  my  brother  and   sister,  who  had  spent  two 


152  SEVILLE  [1851 

winters  in  Spain,  one  winter  in  an  hotel,  the  other 
in  a  casa  de  pupilos  (boarding-house),  where  they  met 
none  but  Spaniards. 

1  It  is  a  pity,1  I  said,  '  that  I  was  not  able  to  be  here 
for  the  Holy  Week  ceremonies  of  Seville.' 

'Yes,'  was  the  answer  —  'as  a  spectacle  to  be 
witnessed  for  once,  but  not  as  a  religious  ceremony. 
The  week  has  been  a  most  instructive  lesson  on  the 
evil  of  making  religion  a  spectacle  of  this  kind,  and  we 
have  been  heartily  disappointed.  The  cathedral  has 
been  crowded,  but  not  with  worshippers.  The  inns 
and  private  houses  have  been  full  to  overflowing,  and 
Holy  Week  has  been  the  week  of  the  greatest  amuse- 
ment to  one  class,  and  of  the  hardest  work  to  another 
class,  of  the  whole  year.  Worse  behaviour  in  church 
we  never  saw.  The  processions  are  very  splendidly 
arranged,  much  better  than  those  in  Malaga ;  but  they 
are  mere  shows,  and  the  cloak  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
and  the  dress  of  the  Nazarenes  are  discussed  just  as 
a  gentleman's  or  lady's  dress  at  a  ball.  The  Nazarene 
dress  in  which  they  walk  in  procession  is  a  long  cap 
about  a  yard  high,  like  the  old  Sanbenito  caps,  a  robe 
with  a  train  about  three  yards  in  length,  and  a  veil 
over  the  face. 

'On  Thursday  we  saw  four  processions  with  nine 
groups  of  figures.  Good  Friday  presented  the  most 
festival  appearance  of  all.  There  were  processions 
all  day  long.  The  whole  population  was  out  in  the 
streets  to  see  them,  boys  clambering  everywhere  that 
they  ought  not,  and  being  driven  down  by  the  police  ; 
men  and  boys  selling  nuts  and  gingerbread  and  water. 
There  was  no  ill-temper  or  quarrelling,  and  no  drink- 
ing, except  water ;  the  people  seemed  to  have  met  to 
enjoy  themselves,  and  they  did  it.  There  was  one 
unfortunate  occurrence.  A  procession  bearing  the 
image  of  Our  Lady  of  Hope  fell  in  with  another 
bearing  that  of  Our  Lady  of  Montserrat,  and  they 


i8Si]  HOLY  WEEK  CEREMONIES  153 

fought  for  precedence.  The  former  gained  it,  but  the 
fight  occasioned  a  panic  in  the  great  square,  where 
there  were,  it  is  supposed,  20,000  persons.  The 
Brotherhood  of  Our  Lady  of  Montserrat,  wearing  high 
caps  with  flaps  over  the  face  that  blinded  them,  and 
long  trains  that  entangled  their  feet,  were  quite 
helpless  in  the  confusion,  and  went  down,  we  were 
told  by  an  American,  "like  ninepins."  When  order 
was  restored,  the  Infanta  and  all  the  royal  party  took 
candles  and  walked  with  them  to  console  them.  Our 
Lady  of  Montserrat  had  a  splendid  new  robe  of  blue 
velvet,  and  there  was  a  great  display  of  plate  all  round 
her. 

'We  had  come  down  from  the  steps  on  which  we 
were  standing,  intending  to  go  home,  when  there  rose 
up  a  clatter  of  voices  round  us,  chiefly  caused  by  the 
ecstatic  delight  of  an  old  woman.      "  It  is  the  best 
procession  of   all,   and    it    has   not    been   out    these 
118  years."     "  How  many  years  did  you  say,  sefiora  ?" 
"  One  hundred  and  eighteen  years.     My  father  lived 
to  be  seventy-six,  and  I  am  of  a  good  age,  and  he 
could  remember  it  when  he  was  a  boy ;  and  it  comes 
all  the  way  from  Santa  Paula,  and  it  won't  be  back 
till  eleven  o'clock  at  night.     It's  the  best  of  all !  it's 
the  best  of  all !"     When  the  image  came  near,  she 
squeezed   herself  and   the   man   next   to   her  a  step 
higher  to   make   room   for  us.      "  Look !    look  !    the 
Princess,  the   Princess!     And    that's   the   Duke,  and 
that's  the  Major-domo,  and  that's  the  General  and  all 
the  great  people  of  Seville."     When  all  had  passed, 
our  old  friend  shook  hands  affectionately,  and  the  last 
words  that  we  heard  from  her  were ,  "  There  never  was 
such  a  procession  !"     Really  religious  people  probably 
keep  away  from  these  scenes,  and  go  quietly  to  their 
own  churches.     The  images  of  Our  Lord  in  His  suffer- 
ings seemed  strangely  out  of  place  in  such  a  merry, 
tumultuous  company.' 


154  THE  SPANISH  CHURCH  [1851 

1  And  what  are  your  experiences  as  to  the  religious 
position  St.  Mary  holds  ?' 

'On  April  n,  1851,  we  heard  a  sermon  preached 
in  Seville  Cathedral,  from  which  the  following  are 
extracts : 

1 "  The  whole  Book  of  the  Lamentations  refers  to 
the  sorrows  of  Mary,  the  Queen  of  Angels  and  of 
the  Blessed  Sprits  ;  Mary's  sorrows  were  the  greatest 
in  the  world.  From  the  time  that  her  Son  was  born 
all  His  sufferings  were  ever  present  to  her  mind,  and 
yet,  from  her  free  love  and  charity  for  the  human 
race,  she  willed  to  offer  Him  up.  The  sufferings  of 
Mary  were  so  great  that,  if  they  were  divided  among 
all  the  creatures  in  the  world,  they  would  suffice  to 
destroy  the  existence  of  all.  God,  who  sent  an  angel 
to  comfort  His  Son  in  His  agony,  sustained  her  with 
His  arm,  that  she  might  not  perish  through  her 
sufferings.  Her  sufferings  differed  from  those  of  the 
Martyrs,  not  only  in  being  more  intense,  but  because 
they  suffered  for  the  salvation  of  their  own  souls; 
she,  who  was  without  spot  or  stain,  purely  through 
charity,  that  she  might  be  the  redeemer  of  the  human 
race.  The  Martyrs,  in  their  torments,  were  often 
supported  by  consolation  from  God,  which  sometimes 
made  their  bodily  pains  appear  light  to  them.  She 
was  utterly  without  it.  ...  Under  the  Law  there 
were  two  altars  near  together — that  of  burnt  offering 
and  that  of  incense.  From  the  one  were  heard  the 
groans  of  slaughtered  victims,  from  the  other  the 
voice  of  praise.  The  first  symbolized  the  cross 
whereon  Jesus  was  offered,  the  second  the  heart  of 
Mary.  ...  I  will  say,  with  St.  Bonaventure,  that  all 
that  Jesus  suffered  in  all  the  various  parts  of  His  body 
— all  the  sufferings  were  gathered  together  in  one  in 
the  heart  of  Mary.  .  .  ." ' 

'  And  the  popular  books  of  devotion  are  of  the  same 
character.  The  book  of  prayer  given  by  the  Arch- 


i85i]  SEVILLE  CATHEDRAL  155 

bishop  of  Santiago  de  Cuba  when  holding  a  mission 
at  Malaga  desires  that  the  following  prayer  to  the 
Most  Holy  Virgin  be  said  the  first  thing  every 
morning : 

1 "  O  Virgin  and  Mother  of  God,  I  give  myself  to 
Thee  as  Thy  child ;  and  for  the  honour  and  glory  of 
Thy  purity  I  offer  Thee  my  soul,  my  body,  my  powers, 
and  my  senses ;  and  I  beseech  Thee  to  obtain  for  me 
the  grace  of  never  committing  any  deadly  sin.  Amen, 
Jesus.  Ave  Maria  (three  times).  My  Mother,  behold 
Thy  child  !  My  Mother,  behold  Thy  child  !  My  Mother, 
behold  Thy  child !  In  Thee,  my  sweetest  Mother, 
I  have  put  my  trust ;  I  shall  never  be  confounded." ' 

The  Cathedral  of  Seville  was  the  grandest  of  any 
that  I  saw  in  Spain,  indicating,  when  compared  with 
the  Alhambra  (Granada)  and  the  Alcazar  (Seville),  the 
superiority  of  the  Gothic  to  the  Moorish  race.  Opening 
out  of  it  is  the  Sagrario  to  which  Blanco  White  was 
attached,  and  connected  with  it  is  the  beautiful  Moorish 
campanile  called  the  Giralda.  On  the  Sunday  that  I 
was  at  Seville  there  was  a  bull-fight,  deferred  from 
Easter  Day  to  the  following  Sunday,  and  the  whole 
city  was  alive  with  excitement.  After  luncheon  I  went 
to  the  top  of  the  Giralda,  and  from  it  had  a  distant 
view  of  the  amphitheatre,  only  part  of  the  arena  of 
which  was  from  thence  visible.  When  I  came  back 
from  Spain  to  Oxford,  I  was  telling  the  story  against 
myself,  of  having  been  tempted  to  the  top  of  the  Giralda 
for  such  a  purpose,  when  Dean  Stanley,  who  was  pre- 
sent, clapped  his  hands  together,  and  cried  out :  '  Oh,  I 
am  so  glad  you  did  that ;  for  I  did  just  the  same  when 
I  was  in  Seville,  and  I  have  been  half  ashamed  to 
acknowledge  it !  It  is  delightful  to  find  a  fellow-trans- 
gressor!' From  the  Giralda  the  bull-ring  presented 
a  singular  appearance.  Sometimes  the  bull  came 
bounding  into  our  vision  in  pursuit  of  a  picador,  or 
chasing  an  audacious  chulo  to  the  side.  One  bull  I 


156  SPANISH  BULL-FIGHTS  [1851 

saw  fall  as  if  by  magic  under  the  sword  of  the  matador, 
which  was  at  that  distance  invisible,  and  then  the  gay 
team  of  mules  appeared  for  a  moment,  and  whisked 
his  body  from  the  arena.     The  usual  complement  of 
eight  bulls  was  slain,  and  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
horses  were  gored  to  death.     The  next  morning  the 
local  papers  gave  a  detailed  account  of  the  deaths  of 
the  bulls  and  horses,  but,  as  usual,  omitted  to  mention 
that  two  men  had  been  carried  out — whether  alive  or 
dead  none  knew,  and  few  cared.     There  was  staying 
at  the  Reina,  a  German  who  was  characterized  rather 
by  bluntness  of  sensibility  than  by  fastidiousness  and 
delicacy  of  nerves  ;   he,  however,  expressed  himself 
quite  sickened  by  the  sight  of  the  gored  horses.     The 
entrails  of  one  he  saw  fall  out  in  a  mass,  after  many 
wounds,  to  the  ground.     Another  was  sinking  with 
the  weakness  of  approaching  death,  and  the  picador 
in  consequence  got  off  his  back ;  but  he  was  at  once 
assailed  by  the  cries  of  the  spectators,  who  made  him 
remount  and  push  on  the  poor  animal  to  be  gored 
once  more.     '  It  is  in  truth  a  piteous  sight  to  see  the 
poor  mangled  horses  treading  out  their  entrails,  and 
yet  gallantly  carrying  off  their  riders  unhurt '  (Ford). 
The  Infanta  and  the  Duke  of  Montpensier,  as  well  as 
the  chief  people  of  Seville,  were  of  course  present. 
Indeed,  no  royal  personages  could  be  popular  in  Spain 
who  discouraged  bull-fighting.     Mr.  Ford  states  '  that 
a  choice  box  in  the  shade,  and  to  the  right  of  the  Pre- 
sident, is  allotted  as  the  seat  of  honour  to  the  Canons 
of  the  cathedral,  who  attend  in  clerical  costume,  and 
such  days  are  fixed  upon  for  the  bull-fight  as  will  not 
by  a  long  Church  service  prevent  their  coming.'    At 
the  conclusion  of  the  sport  we  walked  to  the  amphi- 
theatre to  see  the  matadors,  picadors,  and  chulos  come 
out  in  their  variegated  dresses.     There  was  a  great 
crowd  covering  the  space  near  the  doors.     Men  were 
crying  crayfish  claws,  water,  and  other  eatables  and 


l8Si]  SPANISH  SUNDAY  157 

drinkables,  and  the  merits  of  the  bulls  were  being 
eagerly  discussed  in  loud  and  excited  tones.  This  was 
Sunday  at  Seville.  In  the  morning  many  of  the  shops 
had  been  open,  and  everyday  work  had  been  going 
on.  In  the  afternoon  every  thought  and  every  feeling 
had  been  swallowed  up  in  the  interest  of  the  bull-fight, 
and  the  evening  appeared  given  up  to  cards,  billiards, 
and  dominoes  in  the  casinos  and  cafes. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Oxford— W.  E.  Gladstone. 

ON  my  return  to  Oxford  I  printed  the  experiences  of 
my  brother  and  sister  and  myself  in  a  book  called 
The  Practical  Working  of  the  Church  of  Spain.  It 
was  this  book  by  which  Bishop  Whittingham  was 
interested,  as  recorded  above,  and  shortly  afterwards 
I  was  thanked  for  it  by  Bishop  Blomfield,  whom  I  met 
at  Cuddesdon ;  and  it  led  to  his  appointing  me  one  of 
the  Preachers  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  Whitehall.* 

This  was  the  only  occasion  on  which  I  met  Bishop 

*  The  same  book  drew  from  Dr.  v.  Dollinger  the  following  letter  : 

'  When  the  most  welcome  gift  of  your  book  on  Spain  arrived,  I 
could  not  write  immediately  to  thank  you,  for  it  was  on  the  eve  of  my 
leaving  town.  I  have  now  found  leisure  to  read  it  through,  and  the 
result  is  that  I  have  rarely  met  with  a  book  written  with  such  a  spirit 
of  thorough  fairness  and  justice,  besides  its  being  full  of  solid  informa- 
tion, and  such  information  as  I  was  particularly  anxious  for.  The 
present  disorganized  and  anarchical  state  of  Spain  goes  far  to  confirm 
your  estimate  of  twenty  years  ago.  I  think  it  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  historical  problems — a  problem  which  occupies  incessantly 
my  thoughts — by  what  means  and  operating  causes  the  moral  and 
political  collapse — and,  as  it  were,  bankruptcy — of  a  nation  so  gifted, 
and  once  so  prosperous  and  powerful,  has  been  brought  about.  Doubt- 
less religious  corruptions  and  a  great  perversion  of  moral  principles 
have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  this  phenomenon. 

1  With  my  earnest  wishes  for  your  health  and  my  hearty  thanks  for 
your  kindness, 

*  Believe  me  to  be,  my  dear  Meyrick, 

'  Your  sincere  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

'  I.  DOLLINGER.' 
158 


i856]         WHITEHALL  PREACHERSHIP          159 

Blomfield,  who,  as  Bishop  of  London,  practically 
governed  the  Church  of  England  during  the  archi- 
episcopate  of  Archbishop  Howley.  To  him  we  owe 
the  use  of  the  surplice  instead  of  the  gown  in  preach- 
ing, and  also  of  the  stole  or  scarf.  Being  asked 
whether  the  scarf  was  not  confined  to  chaplains  and 
dignified  clergy,  he  said,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  : 
*  All  my  clergy  may  for  this  purpose  regard  them- 
selves as  my  chaplains.'* 

The  office  of  Preacher  at  Whitehall  Chapel,  to  which 
Bishop  Blomfield  nominated  me,  was  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  Dean  of  the  Chapels  Royal,  the  deanery 
being  annexed  to  the  bishopric  of  London.  There 
were  at  this  time  two  Preachers — one  belonging  to  the 
University  of  Oxford,  and  the  other  to  Cambridge — 
who  held  the  office  of  Preacher  for  two  years,  each 
taking  a  month  in  turn.  My  colleague  during  my 
first  year  (1856)  was  Dr.  Atlay,  afterwards  Bishop  of 
Hereford.  Our  sermons  were  delivered  in  the  ban- 
queting-hall  of  the  old  Whitehall  Palace,  which  was 
then  used  as  a  royal  chapel,  and  was  much  attended 
by  members  of  Parliament  and  officials  connected  with 
it.  It  was  from  this  hall  that  King  Charles  I.  passed 
to  the  scaffold,  which  gave  a  real  and  personal  interest 
to  a  sermon  preached  on  the  anniversary  of  his  death. 
There  he  entered  the  hall ;  there  he  was  made  to  mount 
the  stairs.  Was  that  the  window  through  which  he 
passed  ?  What  was  the  exact  position  of  the  scaffold  ? 
We  could  almost  hear  his  last  conversation  with  Juxon. 
We  could  almost  see  him,  as 

'  He  nothing  little  did  or  mean 
Upon  that  memorable  scene, 
But  bowed  his  comely  head 
Down  as  upon  a  bed.' 

*  The  fact  that  the  stole  is  unauthorized  by  law  has  led  to  the 
mistaken  belief  that  the  surplice  is  also  unauthorized.  The  surplice 
was,  in  1566  and  1604,  appointed  as  the  legal  dress  of  the  clergyman 
in  his  ministrations,  and  the  law  and  canon  have  never  been  abrogated. 


160  WHITEHALL  CHAPEL  [1856 

At  Whitehall  Chapel  I  preached  a  series  of  sermons 
on  *  The  Outcast  and  Poor  of  London ;  or,  Our  Present 
Duties  towards  the  Poor/  the  title  being  taken  from 
Psalm  Ixxii.  4:  'Deliver  the  outcast  and  poor.'  The 
subject  had  at  that  time  hardly  been  treated  either  by 
preachers  or  philanthropists.  Some  of  the  details  into 
which  I  went  were,  I  believe,  regarded  as  scarcely  suit- 
able to  the  dignity  of  the  pulpit  half  a  century  ago. 
The  course  began  with  a  statement  of  the  evils  to  be 
combated  in  connection  with — (i)  the  outcast,  (2)  the 
criminal,  (3)  the  vicious,  (4)  the  ungodly,  (5)  the 
stranger,  (6)  the  poor.  Then  followed  an  enumera- 
tion of  the  remedial  measures  required,  temporal  and 
spiritual,  the  last  of  which  were  religion  and  educa- 
tion, true  education  being  represented  as  consisting 
of — (a)  intellectual  development,  (b)  moral  training, 
(c)  religious  teaching,  (d)  secular  instruction.  The 
question  of  denominational  and  undenominational 
education  had  to  be  argued  then  as  it  has  now,  and 
a  considerable  space  was  given  to  the  subject. 

In  order  to  prepare  these  sermons,  I  attended  a 
number  of  places  on  Sunday  evenings  in  London 
where  I  might  gain  information  about  the  evils  that 
were  to  be  combated.  One  of  these  was  a  secularist 
meeting  held  in  the  East  of  London  by  Mr.  G.  J.  Holy- 
oake.  Mr.  Holyoake  declared  himself  to  be  an  atheist, 
but  he  urged  that  the  name  '  secularist '  was  less  un- 
popular in  England  than  'atheist/  and,  further,  that 
there  might  be  secularists  who  had  not  adopted  the 
tenet  of  atheism.  To  be  a  secularist,  it  was  sufficient 
to  ignore  everything  but  this  life  and  its  interests.  The 
professed  purpose  of  the  sect  was,  he  said,  '  to  pro- 
mote free  inquiry/  by  which  was  apparently  meant 
infidelity;  'secular  education/  which  was  identified 
with  non-religious  instruction ;  '  rational  amusement 
and  general  culture/  by  which  was  meant,  in  particular, 
the  desecration  of  Sunday.  Towards  the  end  of  his 


i856]  G.  J.  HOLYOAKE  161 

address  Mr.  Holyoake,  looking  towards  me  (I  had 
gone  there  in  my  clerical  dress),  said  it  was  a  very 
difficult  matter  to  know  how  to  deal  with  the  clergy ; 
they  were  a  learned  body — acquainted  with  Greek, 
Latin,  and  Hebrew — and  a  powerful  body.  It  was 
dangerous,  therefore,  to  irritate  them,  and  his  advice 
was  to  conciliate  them  as  far  as  possible.  Already 
many  were  unwittingly  doing  the  work  of  the 
secularist  body  by  destroying  or  limiting  the  religious 
character  of  Sunday.  As  soon  as  he  had  sat  down,  an 
artisan  who  was  next  to  me  rose  quickly  to  his  feet, 
and  said  that  he  didn't  see  *  why  Mr.  'Ollyoake  should 
be  so  meek  and  mealy-mouthed  towards  those  clergy. 
They  hated  the  secularists,  and  he  hated  them,  and 
the  sooner  we  got  rid  of  them  the  better.  They  were 
vagabonds.'  Another  man  said  that  wherever  he 
wanted  to  go  he  found  the  Bible  like  a  dead-wall 
right  ahead  of  him,  and  what  they  had  to  do  was  to 
knock  it  down.  The  whole  scene  was  an  interest- 
ing study  of  the  practical  infidelity  prevailing  among 
some  of  the  artisan  class  in  London,  and  it  taught  its 
lesson  in  regard  to  the  light  in  which  both  Sunday 
amusements  and  the  Bible  were  regarded.  The 
various  religious  agencies  then  existing  in  London 
were  enumerated  in  the  lectures,  which  ended  with 
sermons  on  the  duty  and  happiness  of  doing  good  to 
others. 

Oxford  residents  were  much  occupied  during  the 
fifties  with  the  question  of  University  reform.  The 
situation  was  apparently  created  in  the  following 
manner — such,  at  least,  was  the  belief  in  Oxford  at 
the  time :  Mr.  Goldwin  Smith,  demy  of  Magdalen,  a 
good  scholar,  and  a  man  of  high  ability,  offered  him- 
self for  a  Fellowship  at  Queen's  College.  He  passed 
the  best  examination,  but  he  was  in  possession  of  a 
private  income  greater  than  that  which  the  statutes  of 
the  college  allowed  its  Fellows  to  hold,  and  on  this 

ii 


162  OXFORD  [1851-54 

ground  he  was  rejected.  Being  a  man  of  singularly 
sensitive  disposition,  and  prone  to  discover  a  per- 
sonal injury  or  insult  where  none  was  meant,  he 
was  indignant  at  his  rejection,  and  his  feeling  was 
shared  by  liberal  reformers,  who  never  allowed  the 
claims  of  poverty  to  stand  against  those  of  ability.  In 
a  short  time  an  address,  signed  by  Stanley,  Goldwin 
Smith,  Jowett,  and  Lake,  was  forwarded  to  Lord  John 
Russell  (1850),  which  induced  him  to  issue  *a  Royal 
Commission  to  inquire  into  the  state,  discipline,  studies, 
and  revenues  of  the  University  and  colleges  of  Oxford,' 
and  almost  every  one  of  the  Commissioners  was 
selected  from  the  school  of  Arnold  and  Stanley,  the 
last  of  whom  was  appointed  secretary,  with  Goldwin 
Smith  as  assistant-secretary.  The  Commission  re- 
ported, and  it  at  once  appeared  that  the  theories  of 
the  little  knot  of  Oxford  theological  liberals,  of  which 
A.  P.  Stanley  was  interpreter,  were  to  be  forced  on 
the  University,  if  the  Commissioners  should  have  their 
way,  by  the  heavy  hand  of  the  State.  Oxford  was  to 
be  declericalized  and  liberalized,  and  the  means  by 
which  this  was  to  be  effected  was  mainly  the  sub- 
stitution of  a  University  and  professorial  system 
of  teaching  by  laymen  for  tutorial  and  collegiate 
training  under  clergy.  To  meet  the  emergency, 
the  Hebdomadal  Board  (the  governing  body  consti- 
tuted by  Laud,  consisting  of  the  Heads  of  colleges 
and  halls)  appointed  a  committee  to  receive  evidence 
and  suggestions  and  offer  recommendations,  and  the 
Masters  established  a  Tutors'  Association,  which  met 
twice  a  week  to  discuss  the  problems  mooted  by  the 
University  Commission.  The  report  issued  by  the 
committee  of  the  Hebdomadal  Board,  which  was  now 
doomed,  was  a  feeble  production ;  but  it  was  sup- 
ported by  a  paper  of  Dr.  Pusey's  of  the  utmost  value, 
which  deserves  to  be  reprinted :  for  it  was  an  able 
argument  proving  the  infinite  superiority  of  the  col- 


1851-54]  UNIVERSITY  REFORM  163 

legiate  system,  as  existing  in  Oxford  and  Cambridge, 
to  the  system  of  the  German  Universities,  and  it  was 
based  upon  his  own  experience.  Other  Masters  of 
Arts  contributed  evidence :  Professor  Hussey,  Mr. 
Osborne  Gordon  of  Christ  Church,  Professor  Freeman, 
myself,  and  others.  The  object  of  my  paper  was  to 
show  the  superiority  of  college  life  and  discipline  to 
the  status  of  unattached  students  living  separately 
in  lodgings,  and  to  deprecate  the  swamping  of  the 
tutorial  by  the  professorial  system. 

At  the  meetings  of  the  Tutors'  Association  some 
lively  debates  took  place,  in  which  Dean  Mansel,  to 
whom  I  attached  myself,  took  the  more  conserva- 
tive, and  Dean  Lake  (one  of  those  who  had  signed 
the  petition  to  Lord  John  Russell) — who  was  ever 
striving  to  combine  Arnold  and  Newman  in  him- 
self*—  and  George  Rawlinson  of  Exeter  College, 
afterwards  Canon  of  Canterbury,  the  more  liberal 
side. 

When  the  time  came  for  an  Act  of  Parliament  to 
be  based  upon  the  report  of  the  Royal  Commission, 
Mr.  Gladstone  was  a  member  of  the  Government  as 
well  as  a  member  for  the  University.  Mr.  Gladstone 
loved  Oxford,  and  his  supporters  loved  and  trusted 
him.  He  felt  how  tenderly  the  subject  had  to  be 
treated,  and  the  sympathetic  attention  that  he  paid  to 
the  suggestions  and  remonstrances  of  his  constituents 
was  astonishing  and  amazing.  I  wrote  to  him  ex- 
pressing a  fear  that  the  professorial  and  University 
element  would  be  too  predominant  under  the  proposed 
scheme.  At  the  same  time  I  apologized  for  occupying 
his  time,  without  having  any  claim  upon  him  beyond 

*  For  this  reason  Mr.  Lake  was  regarded,  rightly  or  wrongly,  as  a 
Mr.  Facing-both-Ways  in  Oxford.  When  he  was  settled  at  Durham, 
he  took  up  the  role  of  patron  of  the  Ritualist  party  in  the  Northern 
Province,  while  still  keeping  up  a  close  friendship  with  Archbishop 
Tait. 

II— 2 


1 64  OXFORD  [1853 

that  of  being  one  of  his  constituents.     His  reply  was 
as  follows  : 

1  DOWNING  STREET, 

'^727,1853. 

1  On  the  one  hand,  it  is  my  sincere  desire  that  my 
own  opinions  and  conclusions,  such  as  they  are,  in 
matters  affecting  the  welfare  of  the  University,  should 
be  completely  at  the  command  of  every  one  of  my 
constituents  who  may  be  anxious  to  know  them ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  I  should  feel  the  greatest 
reluctance  to  obtrude  them  upon  anyone,  or  even  to 
tender  them  to  anybody  acting  in  or  for  the  Uni- 
versity, inasmuch  as  such  a  tender  must  involve  more 
or  less  of  an  apparent  assumption  of  authority,  which 
is  the  very  last  thing  in  my  thoughts  or  wishes. 

'  There  is  a  movement  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
and  in  the  public  mind  outside  the  University,  which 
might"  take  a  direction  adverse  to  its  best  interests  ; 
and  I  have  considered  to  the  best  of  my  power 
whether  it  is  possible  to  give  such  a  direction  to  that 
movement  as  not  only  to  neutralize  its  dangers,  but  to 
make  its  force  available  for  real  good. 

1  It  seems,  I  must  confess,  to  me,  that  the  recognition 
of  the  Professors  as  an  integral  part,  so  to  speak,  of 
the  teaching  and  governing  body  is  most  important, 
probably  even  vital,  to  any  such  settlement  of  the 
Oxford  question  as  shall  secure  the  place  of  the  Uni- 
versity against  formidable  assaults  from  without. 

'  My  own  opinion  is  that  the  exclusively  collegiate 
system  which  now  rules  in  the  University  might  be 
modified  with  great  advantage  to  the  vigour  and 
efficiency  of  the  colleges  themselves,  and  that  this 
modification  cannot  be  brought  about  unless  with  the 
adoption  of  measures  which  shall  give  the  Professors 
as  such  a  substantive  existence  and  a  sensible  weight 
in  the  academic  sphere. 

'  I  think  that  if  as  much  as  is  necessary  to  fulfil  these 


i853]  UNIVERSITY  REFORM  165 

terms  be  now  withheld,  in  all  probability  the  ground 
might  he  kept  for  a  few  years  ;  but  the  question  would 
be  found  infinitely  more  difficult  to  deal  with  when 
the  decisive  time  had  arrived  than  it  would  if  it  is  now 
opened  and  closed  by  a  fair  arrangement. 

I  What  I  have  said  is  not  only  consistent  with,  but 
even  flows  from,  a  belief  in  the  inestimable  impor- 
tance of  the  domestic  system  of  the  University,  and  an 
earnest  desire  to  see  the  colleges  not  only  maintain 
but  strengthen  their  position  in  everything  but  the 
one    point   of   an    exclusive   character    in    reference 
to  a  professorial  system  and  an  effective  University 
organization. 

I 1  write  in  great  haste  for  to-morrow  evening's  post, 
but  I  know  I  may  trust  to  your  indulgence  for  all 
faults,  whether  of  omission  or  of  commission. 

1 1  remain, 

*  Most  sincerely  yours, 

'  W.  E.  GLADSTONE.' 

In  a  second  letter  relating  to  the  government  of  the 
University,  Mr.  Gladstone  specified  five  points  on 
which  he  objected  to  the  proposals  of  the  Hebdomadal 
Board ;  and  turning  again  to  the  relations  between  the 
University  and  the  colleges,  he  said  that  the  legislative 
settlement  of  the  question  of  University  reform  was 
most  important,  and  that  that  could  not  be  effected 
without  some  relaxation  of  what  was  invidiously  but 
intelligibly  termed  '  the  college  monopoly,'  and  that  the 
subjugation  of  the  University  to  the  colleges  could 
not  be  mitigated  while  the  Heads  of  the  colleges  had 
the  exclusive  power  of  initiation. 

'  I  speak,'  he  said, '  of  mitigating  and  relaxing,  not  of 
destroying,  because  I  think  the  colleges  ought  to  be, 
and  will  be,  under  any  sound  system  the  predominating 
power  in  the  University.  But  I  am  convinced  that  an 
extra-collegiate  competition  will  do  many  of  them  a 


1 66  OXFORD  [1854 

great  deal  of  good.  I  am  sure  you  would  say  that  the 
condition  of  several  of  them  is  not  satisfactory,  and 
the  circulation  of  their  blood  wants  quickening.' 

At  this  time  I  published  a  letter  to  Sir  William 
Heathcote,  the  other  member  for  the  University,  on 
The  Clerical  Tenure  of  Fellowships  (1854),  deprecating 
their  being  laicized  on  the  grounds  both  of  equity  and 
expediency.  I  sent  a  copy  of  it  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  and 
received  the  following  reply  : 

4 1  have  read  the  pamphlet  you  have  been  so  good 
as  to  send  me,  and  I  confess  I  do  not  quite  feel  able  to 
take  the  same  view,  or  the  same  point  of  view,  as  yours 
with  reference  to  the  provision  of  the  Oxford  Bill  re- 
specting the  Holy  Orders  of  Fellows.  Perhaps  I  have 
been  hardened  and  my  sight  made  dull  by  having 
received  so  many  remonstrances,  some  of  them  from 
not  inconsiderable  persons,  against  the  hyperclerical 
tendencies  and  effect  of  the  clause  in  question. 

'  At  the  same  time  I  have  the  utmost  pleasure  in 
acknowledging  the  fairness  of  spirit,  and  the  absence 
of  any  disposition  to  find  fault  for  the  sake  of  fault- 
finding, as  well  as  the  ingenuity  and  ability  with  which 
you  treat  the  question ;  and  I  even  cling  to  the  hope 
that,  when  the  clause  shall  have  been  fully  sifted  by 
discussion,  your  fears  respecting  it  may  be  at  least 
partially  mitigated.' 

Up  to  this  time  the  resident  Masters  of  Arts  had  for 
the  most  part  been  acquiescent  in  the  passing  of  the 
Bill,  if  not  favourable  to  it.  But  just  before  it  left  the 
House  of  Commons  a  clause  was  introduced,  not  by 
Mr.  Gladstone  nor  with  his  approval,  going  far  to 
sever  the  connection  between  the  University  and  the 
Church.  The  clause  was  proposed  by  Mr.  Heywood, 
representing  the  Liberationists,  and  on  the  other  side 
Lord  Stanley  significantly  declared  that  his  father,  the 
late  Prime  Minister,  was  in  favour  of  it.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  Government  accepted  the  clause  and 


i854]  UNIVERSITY  REFORM  167 

hurried  the  Bill  through  the  House  of  Commons.  The 
change  in  the  Bill  thus  effected  came  like  a  bolt  from 
the  blue  on  the  Oxford  residents.  A  few  Masters  of 
Arts  met  in  my  rooms  at  Trinity  College,  and  deter- 
mined on  a  petition  against  the  admission  of  Dis- 
senters, to  be  presented  by  the  resident  Masters.  And 
a  few  days  later  another  meeting  resolved  on  a  petition 
from  the  non-resident  Masters  of  Arts  to  the  same 
effect,  both  of  them  to  be  addressed  to  the  House  of 
Lords  (1854).  The  manipulation  of  these  petitions  was 
left  mainly  in  my  hands. 

At  the  same  time  I  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  Gladstone, 
from  whom  I  received  at  once  the  following  most 
courteous  reply : 

'  DEAR  MR.  MEYRICK, 

*  There  is  not  a  word  in  the  letter  you  have 
addressed  to  me  that  could  call  for  the  explanations 
with  which  you  begin  and  end  it.  The  only  regret  I 
have  in  connection  with  it,  apart  from  such  differences 
of  opinion  as  it  may  open,  is  that  its  topics  are  so 
important  that  it  is  not  possible  for  me  to  do  justice 
either  to  you  or  to  them  in  a  reply. 

'  I  am  deliberately  of  opinion  that  Oxford  has  come 
off  more  cheaply  with  Mr.  Heywood's  clauses  from  a 
most  embarrassed  question  than  it  could  have  done 
had  the  contest  been  prolonged.  The  point  for  which 
the  Dissenters  would  have  contended  would  have  been, 
that,  leaving  theological  office  to  the  Church,  they 
should  have  everything  else.  The  point  they  have 
now  gained  is,  that,  leaving  the  whole  teaching  and 
governing  power  to  the  Church,  they  have  everything 
else.  I  cannot  think  that  those  are  terms  inequitable 
in  themselves  to  the  Church  in  a  country  where  five 
millions  of  people  go  to  church  on  Sunday,  and  five 
millions  to  other  places  of  worship.  But  the  equity  of 
the  terms  is  one  thing,  and  the  Parliamentary  title  to 


1 68  OXFORD  [1854 

them  another.  That  title  I  think  a  serious  evil ;  but  I 
am  confident  it  could  hardly  have  been  avoided  after 
the  majority  of  ninety-one — a  fact  the  moment  of  which, 
as  indicative  of  a  certain  state  of  general  opinion,  I  do 
not  think  you  sufficiently  appreciate.  You  think  the 
House  of  Lords  would  have  thrown  out  the  clauses ; 
but  let  me  assure  you  that  what  you  saw  and  heard 
while  present  on  the  evening  of  the  debate  is  a  slight 
foundation  to  build  upon. 

'  No  one  can  be  blind  to  the  fact  that  Lord  Derby 
conscientiously  retains  the  opinions  respecting  sub- 
scription which  he  expressed  long  ago.  You  say 
truly  that  his  son  is  not  always  the  organ  of  his 
opinions ;  true,  but  neither  does  he  always  say  or 
intimate  that  he  is.  You  see  Lord  Derby  did  not 
oppose  the  admission  of  Dissenters  to  the  University, 
such  as  it  now  is,  but  their  admission  in  connection 
with  the  private  halls,  and,  more  strangely,  in  con- 
nection with  the  speeches  of  Lord  Carlisle  and  Lord 
Lyttelton.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  most 
doubtful  whether  the  Lords  could  have  been  brought 
to  wage  war  by  rejecting  the  first  clause,  which  had 
been  sent  up  by  a  majority  of  ninety -one.  But 
suppose  they  had ;  what  would  have  followed  ? 
Simply  the  loss  of  the  whole  Bill ;  for  the  Commons 
would  most  certainly  have  refused  to  acquiesce  in 
the  amendment  of  the  Lords,  and  the  Parliamentary 
consequence  of  such  a  state  of  things  is  that  the  Bill 
drops.  Now,  with  my  conviction  that  the  Bill  gives 
a  great  accession  of  strength  to  Oxford,  and  therefore 
to  the  Church,  and  likewise  with  the  experience  we 
have  had  of  the  extreme  difficulty  of  working  such 
a  measure  through  Parliament,  I  should  have  felt  it 
a  heavier  responsibility  to  bring  about  the  rejection  of 
the  Bill  than  to  dismiss  it  with  these  clauses  appended 
to  it.  Even,  however,  setting  aside  the  evil  of  losing 
the  Bill  as  a  whole,  I  think  that  for  the  Dissenters' 


i854l  UNIVERSITY  REFORM  169 

question  you  would  have  stood  worse;  that  you 
would  not  have  had  a  single  year's  peace;  and  that 
the  longer  the  controversy  was  continued,  the  heavier 
the  price  to  be  paid  for  getting  out  of  it  would  have 
been.  The  first  loss,  if  it  be  a  loss,  is  the  least. 

'  With  respect  to  Parliamentary  pledges,  a  Govern- 
ment may  bind  itself  to  resign  or  dissolve  rather  than 
allow  a  particular  measure  to  pass,  or,  short  of  this,  to 
oppose  it  through  all  stages,  or,  again,  simply  to  oppose 
it.  You  do  not,  I  think,  place  our  pledge  in  the  first  rank, 
but  in  the  second.  I  place  it  in  the  third.  I  think  it 
was  our  duty  to  oppose  Mr.  Heywood — which  we  did 
to  the  best  of  our  power — and  then  to  act  for  the  best. 
But  we  were  beaten  ;  what  next  ?  Certainly,  it  would 
have  been,  not  a  breach  of  a  particular  pledge,  but  a 
most  gross  breach  of  duty  on  my  part,  if  I  for  one  had 
said,  "  I  have  now  done  with  the  pledge  and  with  the 
interests  of  Oxford,  and  shall  act  independently  of 
them."  But,  on  the  contrary,  my  case  is,  that  I  did 
act  for  the  real  interests  of  Oxford,  and  the  Church  in 
Oxford,  by  adopting  what  I  hope  may  prove,  to  say 
the  least,  a  settlement  of  the  question  for  no  incon- 
siderable time. 

'  My  own  great  hope  is  that  Oxford  will  for  her  own 
future  peace  have  a  clear  and  decided  opinion,  when 
the  time  comes  for  expressing  one,  upon  the  Bill,  and 
upon  me  as  much  connected  with  it. 

*  The  Churchman  founds,  and  I  think  rightly  founds, 
his  title  to  the  University  and  college  (I,  at  least,  do 
not  see  my  way  to  your  distinction  between  them) 
endowments  and  privileges  on  his  belief  in  the 
Church.  But  suppose  for  argument's  sake  nine- 
tenths  of  the  people  had  left  the  Church,  would 
the  Churchman  still  be  bound  to  demand  exclusive 
possession  for  the  other  tenth  ?  I  will  not  attempt  to 
explain ;  but  I  think  you  will  see  my  meaning  without 
more  detail. 


1 70  OXFORD  [1854 

1  On  one  other  point  only  will  I  say  a  word.  I  think 
that  when  in  political  matters  we  come  to  examine 
what  has  been  the  system  of  concession,  which  you 
say  (and  I  doubt  not  truly)  causes  so  much  apprehen- 
sion, we  find  these  two  things :  first,  that  it  means  in 
the  main  continuous  adaptation  of  humanly  devised 
laws  and  institutions  to  the  varying  needs  of  suc- 
cessive periods  ;  secondly,  that  it  is  to  such  continuous 
adaptation  that  this  country  owes  its  freedom  from 
revolutionary  shocks  and  the  stability  of  its  institu- 
tions, as  compared  with  those  of  countries  where 
Governments  have  not  "conceded."  I  might  add  a 
third,  that,  when  we  have  been  subject  to  anything 
like  violent  change,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Reform  Bill, 
it  has  been  mainly  due  to  the  blind  and  uncompro- 
mising character  of  the  previous  opposition  to  altera- 
tions which  reason  demanded.  I  speak  here  of  secular 
politics,  of  which  I  can  contemplate  the  probable  course 
for  the  future  with  tranquillity  and  cheerful  hope.  As 
to  the  politics  of  religion,  the  case  is  far  darker ;  but, 
then,  I  must  say  the  dangers  and  mischiefs  which 
there  confront  us  are  not  the  creations  of  your  kind 
or  mine,  but  are  the  growth  of  periods  when  conces- 
sions were  not  in  fashion,  and  might  all  have  been 
avoided,  had  there  been  a  disposition  to  do  it  betimes, 
at  but  a  small  fraction  of  the  price  which  either  you 
or  I  would  now  give,  and  perhaps  vainly  give,  to 
escape  them. 

1 1  remain, 

*  Very  truly  yours, 

1 W.  E.  GLADSTONE.' 

Mr.  Gladstone  continued  the  subject  of  Concession 
in  a  subsequent  letter  (September  4,  1854). 

1  There  are  but  two  words  in  your  letter  which  call 
for  an  answer  from  me.  The  first  is  one  which  leads 
me  to  say  in  reply  that  I  do  not  suppose  there  ever 


i8S4]        GLADSTONE  ON  CONCESSION          171 

has  been  a  principle  or  policy  of  concession,  neither, 
I  conceive,  is  there  now.  For  the  term  implies  that 
there  is  to  be  concession  more  or  less  irrespective  of 
the  rightfulness  on  the  one  hand,  of  the  sacredness  on 
the  other,  of  the  thing  conceded.  I  have  nothing  to 
say  for  such  a  policy.  It  is  sometimes  right  to  concede 
a  measure  which  one  believes  to  be  inexpedient ;  but 
this  must  be  limited  to  minor  matters,  and  it  would  be 
monstrous  in  any  man  to  make  or  keep  politics  as  his 
profession  who  felt  that  proceedings  of  this  kind  con- 
stituted the  staple  of  his  work.  But  the  adjustment  of 
institutions  to  those  measures  of  social  right  which 
vary  from  age  to  age  with  the  shifting  of  the  elements 
that  compose  society,  though  it  may  externally  re- 
semble a  policy  of  concession,  is,  I  conceive,  a  very 
different  thing  from  it. 

'There  are  many  other  topics  which  I  pass  by 
because  too  much  would  have  to  be  said  upon  them ; 
but  my  second  reason  for  writing  was  to  give  you  the 
assurances,  which  I  feared  you  still  seemed  to  want, 
that  the  freedom  and  unreserve  of  your  observations, 
so  far  from  being  in  my  eyes  a  liberty,  will  always  be 
the  more  acceptable  the  further  it  is  carried. 
1 1  remain, 

1  Most  truly  yours, 

'  W.  E.  GLADSTONE.' 

When  the  Bill  was  about  to  be  discussed  in  the 
House  of  Lords  (July  6  and  7,  1854),  I  went  to  London 
with  the  petition  of  the  resident  Masters,  and  took  it 
to  the  house  of  Lord  Derby,  who  was  Chancellor  of 
the  University.  Lord  Derby  was  very  gracious  in 
explaining  his  views,  and  gave  me  an  order  of 
admission  to  the  Strangers'  Gallery  in  the  House  of 
Lords  for  the  evening.  There  I  found  Edwin  Palmer, 
J.  G.  Talbot,  R.  Michell,  O.  Gordon,  P.  Claughton,  etc. 
The  following  evening  I  was  introduced  into  the  House, 


172  OXFORD  [1854 

by  the  side  of  the  Bar,  by  Arthur  Gordon,  son  of  Lord 
Aberdeen  (now  Lord  Stanmore).  The  debate  lasted 
till  2  a.m. 

Lord  Derby  moved  an  amendment  on  the  point  of 
private  halls,  and,  finding  himself  in  a  minority,  de- 
sisted from  further  attempts.  It  was  whispered  that 
he  did  not  desire  an  adjournment,  because  the  Liver- 
pool Races  were  being  held  the  next  day,  and  he  was 
anxious  to  attend  them. 

The  Bill  was  thus  passed,  and  the  victory  of  the 
Oxford  Liberals  was  complete.  Virtually  or  actually, 
the  connection  between  the  Church  and  the  University, 
as  such,  was  severed.  Endowments  were  transferred 
from  their  object — the  direct  promotion  of  religion  and 
education — to  the  maintenance  of  professional  men  in 
their  struggle  upwards  in  the  world.  Fellowships 
founded  specially  for  the  support  of  the  clergy  were 
secularized ;  the  claims  of  poverty  were  disregarded  ; 
the  most  influential  posts  of  instruction  were  trans- 
ferred, potentially  and  actually,  from  clergy  to  laity ; 
the  University  and  professorial  system  of  teaching 
was  so  strengthened  and  encouraged  as  almost  neces- 
sarily to  tend  towards  the  degradation  and  absorption 
of  colleges  and  college  Tutors.  The  Church  party 
was  beaten  all  along  the  line.  The  University  of 
Laud  ceased  to  be,  and  a  new  University  was  started 
on  its  course,  destined,  unless  some  strong  reaction 
should  ensue,  to  lose  more  and  more  the  old  char- 
acteristics of  an  English  University,  and  to  be  assimi- 
lated more  and  more  to  the  German  model. 

The  work  of  1854  was  completed  by  the  University 
Test  Act  of  1871,  and  a  final  settlement  was  made  in 
1877.  The  results  on  the  religious  character  of  Oxford 
were  bitterly  lamented  by  Bishop  Mackarness  and 
Canon  Liddon.  One  consequence  has  followed,  the 
very  opposite  to  that  which  was  intended  by  those 
who  assailed  Oxford  on  account  of  the  supposed  over- 


i854l  THEOLOGICAL  COLLEGES  173 

strained  religiousness  of  the  clergy  formed  in  its 
atmosphere.  An  Oxford  in  which  the  college  Tutors 
need  be  neither  clergy  nor  Churchmen  could  no  longer 
be  trusted  as  the  nursery  of  the  candidates  for  Holy 
Orders.  It  became  necessary  to  establish  theological 
colleges  in  almost  every  diocese,  and  these  colleges 
have  a  tendency  to  create  a  priesthood  much  more 
narrow  in  its  sympathies  than  the  larger  University, 
in  which  laymen  and  future  clergymen  associated 
together  on  an  equality.  The  nation  took  away  the 
Universities  from  the  Church  as  a  training  sphere  for 
the  national  clergy,  and  the  Church  was  obliged  to 
institute  diocesan  seminaries  or  colleges  to  perform 
the  work  which  the  Universities  had  done,  a  result 
which  has  been  good  neither  for  the  Church  nor  for 
the  nation. 

The  Oxford  Architectural  Society  was  at  this  time 
an  object  of  considerable  attraction  to  many  of  us, 
partly  because  Professor  E.  A.  Freeman  took  so  much 
interest  in  the  subject  of  ecclesiastical  architecture,  as 
he  showed  afterwards  by  writing  a  history  of  archi- 
tecture, and  partly  because  it  was  attended  by  the 
learned  antiquarian  J.  H.  Parker,  C.B.,  and  by  the 
eminent  architect  G.  E.  Street. 

Some  of  us  formed  a  small  society  for  the  purpose 
of  discussing  the  relation  between  the  Christian  faith 
and  the  Christian  styles  of  architecture  in  a  manner 
more  esoteric  than  would  have  been  suitable  for  a 
public  society.  Having  exhausted  our  subjects,  or 
getting  tired  of  them,  we  determined  to  bring  the 
society  to  a  close ;  but  it  occurred  to  some  of  us  that 
the  nucleus  thus  formed  might  be  useful  for  another 
purpose.  Many  young  men  came  up  to  the  University 
from  pious  homes  and  well  taught  at  their  schools, 
who  found  themselves  solitary  and  lonely  in  their 
various  colleges,  and  ran  the  risk  of  being  absorbed 
into  the  idle  or  noisy  set  to  be  found  in  each  college. 


174  OXFORD  [1854 

It  was  thought  that  these  men  might  be  gathered  up, 
and  that  they  might  find  in  a  body  of  sympathizing- 
elders  a  strength  to  resist  the  various  temptations  to 
which  they  were  exposed.  The  members,  therefore, 
of  the  society  who  were  specially  interested  in  archi- 
tecture withdrew,  and  the  others  set  out  on  their  new 
quest.  There  was  some  difficulty  in  organizing  the 
new  plan,  and  I  was  requested  to  ask  Dr.  Pusey  for 
his  advice.  Dr.  Pusey  was  at  this  time  engaged  in  the 
institution  and  establishment  of  sisterhoods,  and  he 
grasped  at  this  application,  which  he  thought  might 
be  utilized  for  the  institution  of  brotherhoods  also. 
But  that  was  not  our  purpose.  Full  of  the  notion  that 
he  had  taken  up,  Dr.  Pusey  first  proposed  that  the 
members  of  the  new  body  should  make  a  rule  of 
always  walking  with  their  eyes  turned  to  the  ground, 
to  avoid  temptations  and  as  a  mark  of  humility.  I 
said  that  I  thought  that  such  a  practice  was  not 
natural  for  young  men,  nor  good  for  them.  Instead, 
Dr.  Pusey  suggested  that  as  a  mark  of  membership 
we  should  all  wear  round  our  loins  a  girdle  of  flannel 
or  other  material  as  a  token  of  self-restraint.  '  And 
then,'  said  Basil  Jones  demurely,  to  whom  I  recounted 
the  interview,  'you  will  no  doubt  call  yourselves  the 
Worshipful  Society  of  Girdlers.'  We  did  not  adopt 
either  of  Dr.  Pusey's  proposals,  but  we  accepted,  on 
his  recommendation,  the  name  of  the  Brotherhood  of 
the  Holy  Trinity  and  some  simple  suggestions  which 
might  help  us  towards  a  good  life,  such  as  that  we 
should  rise  early,  use  prayer,  public  and  private,  be 
moderate  in  food  and  drink,  and  avoid  speaking  evil 
of  others.  Some  of  us  used  to  meet  once  a  week  in 
one  another's  rooms  and  say  the  Penitential  Psalms, 
partly  as  a  religious  exercise,  partly  to  make  better 
acquaintance  with  the  young  men  who  joined  us. 
And  some  during  Lent  had  their  breakfast  before  the 
chapel  service,  which  was  at  half-past  seven.  But 


i854]  A  BROTHERHOOD  175 

these  things  were  purely  voluntary ;  there  was  no 
moral  compulsion  on  any  one  to  do  them,  nothing 
wrong  if  they  were  not  done.  Time  passed,  and  some 
of  the  members  were  not  contented  with  anything  so 
vague  ;  they  wanted  rules,  not  suggestions.  If  I 
recollect  right,  the  chief  mover  in  this  direction  was 
R.  M.  Benson,  afterwards  of  Cowley,  and  he  was 
supported  by  H.  P.  Liddon.  I  opposed,  saying  that 
principles  were  better  guides  to  the  conscience  than 
rules.  Reference  was  made  to  Dr.  Pusey  again.  He 
proposed  a  compromise  :  there  should  not  be  rules, 
but  only  rules-to-be-aimed-at,  and  these  should  not 
be  binding  on  any  except  such  as  definitely  adopted 
them,  the  other  members  remaining  as  before.  A  year 
or  two  passed,  and  then  the  greater  number  of  those 
that  had  adopted  the  rules  acknowledged  that  they 
had  made  a  mistake.  Instead  of  engaging  to  rise  early, 
they  had  bound  themselves  to  a  definite  hour,  such  as 
half-past  six  ;  instead  of  prayer,  they  had  to  say 
specified  prayers  at  specified  hours  ;  instead  of 
moderation  in  food,  they  were  to  drink  only  one  glass 
of  wine  and  have  so  many  helpings  at  meals,  eating- 
nothing  at  other  times.  Those  who  were  observing 
these  rules  felt  that  they  were  dragging  behind  them 
through  life  a  load  which  God  had  not  bound  round 
their  necks,  and  those  who  failed  to  observe  them 
felt  that  they  were  making  sin  where  God  had  not 
made  it.  The  brotherhood  reunited  on  its  old  basis. 
But  after  this  time  I  did  not  for  long  take  an  active 
part  in  it,  and  whether  it  exists  still,  and  if  so  in  what 
shape,  I  know  not. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Anglo-Continental  Society— The  Abbd  Guette'e— 
Count  Ottavio  Tasca. 

IN  1853  the  experiences  of  myself  and  my  brother 
(Michel  Fellow  of  Queen's  College,  Oxford)  in  1850 
and  1851,  in  France,  Italy,  Germany,  Switzerland,  and 
Spain,  bore  fruit  in  the  institution  of  the  Anglo-Con- 
tinental Society.  We  had  found  that  throughout  the 
Continent  of  Europe,  and  specially  in  Spain,  there 
was  a  yearning  for  something  better,  something  more 
spiritual,  than  the  modern  Church  of  Rome  could 
supply ;  and  a  profound  ignorance  of  the  position 
occupied  in  Christendom  by  the  Anglican  communion. 
We  had  found  the  Church  of  England,  sometimes 
ignorantly,  sometimes  wilfully,  misrepresented  in  all 
the  countries  where  the  Papal  Church  had  sway,  as 
consisting  of  an  unorganized  mob,  a  mob  with  no 
definite  faith,  held  together  by  the  authority  of  the 
English  Sovereign,  who  was  the  Anglican  Pope, 
and  legislated  for  by  Parliament ;  and  the  belief 
was  general  that  it  had  been  set  up  in  England  by 
Henry  VIII.  in  place  of  the  Catholic  Church,  because 
the  latter  would  not  allow  him  to  put  away  one  wife 
and  take  another.  Many  Continental  Churchmen, 
especially  in  Spain,  were  dimly  aware  that  they  were 
floundering  in  a  bog  of  superstition  and  falsehood  ; 
but  how  could  they  distinguish  true  from  false  ?  A 
large  proportion  could  not  read  at  all ;  if  they  could 

176 


ANGLO-CONTINENTAL  SOCIETY       177 

read,  they  had  no  Scriptures  to  serve  as  a  standard  of 
truth.  Many  of  the  clergy  were  men  maintaining  an 
institution  from  which  they  derived  their  bread ;  a 
few,  more  enlightened,  and  therefore  discontented 
with  their  position,  were  seeking  for  better  things. 
The  example  given  by  the  English  service  at  Gibraltar, 
where  Archdeacon  Burroughs  was  officiating  as  chap- 
lain, served  to  inspire  some  of  the  clergy  and  the  laity 
in  Spain  with  a  hope  of  reformation  on  the  model,  and 
with  the  help,  of  the  Anglican  Church. 

I  have  already  mentioned  two  pathetic  letters  of  a 
Spanish  Canon,  exhibiting  his  desire  for  more  light 
and  truth.  4 1  believe,'  he  said,  4  that  there  is  no  pro- 
paganda in  the  Anglican  Church,  and  little  anxiety  to 
lead  other  Christian  nations  which  groan  under  the 
errors  of  Popery,  to  abjure  them  and  to  breathe  the 
pure  air  of  evangelic  truth  and  primitive  Christianity. 
But  I  desire  to  make  myself  well  acquainted  with  the 
doctrines  of  your  Church  in  order  to  be  one  day  useful 
to  my  country.'  It  was  hard  to  resist  such  an  appeal 
as  his,  and  it  seemed  highly  desirable  both  for  the 
sake  of  foreign  Christians,  who,  in  the  Canon's  words, 
were  '  losing  their  faith  and  morals  and  sinking  into 
atheism,'  and  also  for  the  sake  of  clearing  away  mis- 
representations of  the  character  of  the  English  Church, 
to  take  measures  to  exhibit  thafaith  of  the  latter,  and 
to  show  to  the  former  that  there  was  a  catholicity 
which  was  not  Papal.  No  programme  of  the  Anglo- 
Continental  Society  was  at  first  published,  but  Bishop 
Cosin's  Latin  work  on  The  Religion,  Discipline,  and 
Rites  of  the  English  Church  was  republished  as  a 
pamphlet  and  sent  to  a  certain  number  of  people  in 
England,  with  a  circular  stating  that  it  was  intended 
to  publish  similar  works,  illustrative  of  the  doctrines, 
discipline,  and  constitution  of  the  Anglican  Church, 
which  might  attract  the  attention  of  members  of  other 
branches  of  the  Church,  and  have  such  effect  upon 

12 


178  OXFORD  [1853 

their  minds  as  it  was  natural  and  right  that  they 
should  produce.  Among  those  who  responded  warmly 
to  the  proposal  were  :  Bishop  Samuel  Wilberforce, 
Bishop  Charles  Wordsworth,  the  Rev.  T.  L.  Claughton 
(afterwards  Bishop  of  St.  Albans),  A.  C.  Coxe  (after- 
wards Bishop  of  Western  New  York),  G.  Moberly 
(afterwards  Bishop  of  Salisbury),  Christopher  Words- 
worth (afterwards  Bishop  of  Lincoln),  Basil  Jones 
(afterwards  Bishop  of  St.  David's),  W.  E.  Gladstone, 
Lord  Robert  Cecil  (Lord  Salisbury),  Lord  Charles 
Hervey,  A.  J.  Beresford-Hope,  J.  G.  Hubbard  (Lord 
Addington),  Sir  William  Heathcote,  William  Gibbs, 
John  Keble,  F.  C.  Massingberd,  Roundell  Palmer 
(Lord  Selborne).  The  first  occupation  of  the  society 
was  the  preparation  of  short  treatises  for  use  in 
various  languages,  and  its  objects  were  declared  to  be 
three : 

1.  To  make  the  principles  of  the  English  Church 
known    in    the    different    countries    of    Europe   and 
throughout  the  world  by  means  of  the  publication  and 
dissemination  of  books  and  tracts  illustrative  of  the 
doctrines,  discipline,  status,  and  religious  spirit  of  the 
English   Church,  and   of  the  character  of  her  Refor- 
mation. 

2.  To    help   forward    the   internal    reformation    of 
National  Churches  and  other  religious  communities 
by  spreading  information  within  them  rather  than  by 
proselytizing  from  them. 

3.  To  save  men  whose  religious  convictions  were 
already  unsettled  from  drifting  into  infidelity,  by  ex- 
hibiting to  them  a  purified   Christianity  which  they 
might  be  able  to  embrace. 

I  was  secretary  of  this  society  for  forty-six  years, 
my  colleagues  being  successively  Dr.  Godfray,  Lord 
Charles  Hervey,  Archdeacon  Huxtable,  and  Mr.  S. 
Oldham.  My  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Godfray  was 
made  in  a  singular  manner.  I  had  travelled  down 


i853-8o]       LORD  CHARLES  A.  HERVEY          179 

from  Scotland  during  the  night  in  order  to  record  that 
vote  for  Mr.  Gladstone  which  gave  offence  to  Lord 
Robert  Cecil  (p.  88).  During  the  same  night  Dr. 
Godfray  had  been  travelling  up  from  the  Channel 
Islands  for  a  like  purpose.  We  met  in  the  early 
morning,  about  five  o'clock,  in  a  little  inn  near  Pad- 
dington  (there  was  then  no  station  hotel),  where  we 
waited  for  the  first  train  to  Oxford.  Finding  that  we 
were  both  Oxford  men  and  bent  on  the  same  course, 
we  joined  company  at  a  breakfast  or  supper,  whichever 
it  might  be,  not  knowing  each  other's  names.  During 
the  meal  Dr.  Godfray  said  to  me :  '  Have  you  seen  a 
valuable  book  lately  published  by  a  Fellow  of  Trinity 
College,  called  The  Practical  Working  of  the  Church  of 
Spain?  The  writer's  name  is  Meyrick.'  I  acknow- 
ledged the  authorship,  and  found  that  he  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  state  of  religion  on  the  Continent, 
specially  in  France,  of  which  he  knew  most.  Here 
was  just  the  man  that  I  wanted  for  my  brother 
secretary,  the  more  as,  being  Jersey-born,  he  talked 
French  as  freely  as  English ;  and  not  only  that,  but 
was  also  a  good  classical  French  scholar,  who  could 
translate  from  Latin  or  English  into  the  best  French. 
We  worked  heartily  together  till  his  death. 

Another  very  valuable  brother  secretary  was  Lord 
Charles  A.  Hervey,  Rector  of  Chesterford,  a  parish 
previously  held  by  Bishop  Blomfield,*  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Cambridge,  and  brother  of  Lord  Arthur 
Hervey,  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells. 

Lord  Charles's  health  not  being  very  good,  he  was 
obliged  to  spend  a  considerable  part  of  his  time  in 

*  Bishop  Blomfield  passed  from  the  rectory  of  Chesterford  to  that 
of  Bishopsgate,  and  he  then  became  Bishop  of  Chester.  Hence 
the  lines : 

'  From  Chesterford  to  Bishopsgate 

Did  Charles  James  Blomfield  wade  ; 
Then,  leaving  Ford  and  Gate  behind, 
He's  Chester's  Bishop  made.' 

12 — 2 


i8o  GHESTERFORD  [1853-80 

travelling.    In  the  West  Indies,  in  Egypt,  in  Honolulu, 
at  the  Cape,  in  North  America,  in  South  America,  as 
well  as  in  France,  Italy,  Malta,  Switzerland,  he  exerted 
himself  to  spread  a  knowledge  of  the  true  principles  of 
the  Church  of  England.     He  was  specially  interested 
in  the  question  of  Catholic  reform  by  his  experiences 
in  Malta,  whence  he  returned  in  1844,  accompanied  by 
Dr.  Camilleri,  a  priest  in  Italian  Orders,  afterwards 
incumbent   of  Lyford,   near  Wantage,   who    died   in 
1903.     Lord  Charles  Hervey  was  a  typical  representa- 
tive of  a  small  class  of  clergymen  found  in  the  English 
Church,   which  it  is  to   be   hoped   that  the   English 
Church  will  never  be  without.     Equal  in  secular  rank 
to  the  highest  in  the  land,  and  able  thereby  to  gain  a 
hearing  for  his  Master's  cause  in  houses  not  always 
accessible  to  clerical  influence,  he  made  himself  the 
equal  of  the  humblest  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry 
of  the  Church  without  effort  or  anything  approaching 
to   ostentatious   stooping.     It   has   been   said   that  a 
titled  class  is  a  good  for  the  nation  at  large,  earned  at 
the  expense  of  the  titled  class  itself.     He  was  one  of 
the  few  that  are  utterly  unharmed  by  the  distinctions 
of  the  world  or  by  that  consciousness  of  belonging  to 
a  caste,  sometimes  cherished  as  a  poison-root  in  the 
hearts   of  men  and  women  too  proud   or   too  well- 
mannered  to  allow  such  a  feeling  ever  to  be  exhibited. 
An   earnest   and   hard-working  parish   clergyman,  a 
genial  companion,  an  unswervingly  loyal  friend,  an 
accomplished  linguist,  a  scholar  and  a  theologian,  a 
sound   and   devout  Churchman  of  the  old  Anglican 
type,  without  a  leaning  either  Romewards  or  towards 
Puritanism,  he  passed  away  in  1880,  leaving  a  wide 
space  vacant.     He  was  succeeded  in  the  secretaryship 
by  Archdeacon  Huxtable. 

The  society  occupied  itself  during  its  first  six  or 
seven  years  in  publishing  tracts  or  pamphlets  which 
might  serve  to  show  foreigners  the  character  of  the 


1853-56]          MODERN  GALLICANISM  181 

Church  of  England,  and  incidentally  to  suggest  the 
desirableness  of  internal  reform,  in  the  Unreformed 
communities,  on  the  model  of  the  primitive  Church. 
During  these  years  thirty  such  pamphlets  were  issued 
in  Latin,  French,  Italian,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  German, 
modern  Greek,  Armenian ;  the  total  number  published 
by  the  society  was  nearly  200.  At  the  same  time 
correspondence  was  entered  into  with  residents  in 
France  and  Italy  who  were  interested  in  the  subject 
of  reform.  There  were  still  remains  of  Gallicanism  to 
be  found  in  France,  though,  in  fact,  there  is  no  stand- 
ing-ground for  Gallicans  in  the  new  French  Church 
which  was  created  by  Napoleon  in  the  first  year  of 
the  last  century.  The  old  traditions  still  lingered,  and 
held  together  a  small  body  of  men  who  would  not 
accept  the  Papal  autocracy.  Montalembert  had  a  small 
school  of  followers  ;  Laborde,  Prompsault,  and  Wallon 
protested  against  the  dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception ;  Garcin  de  Tassy,  a  learned  Orientalist, 
represented  the  old  Gallican  School  in  its  best  form  ; 
Pere  Hyacinthe  and  Pere  Gratry  had  not  broken  with 
the  National  Church,  but  were  showing  themselves 
powerful  opponents  of  Ultramontanism. 

Intercommunication  soon  arose  between  Anglican 
and  Gallican  Churchmen.  In  1856  1'Abbe  Guettee 
instituted  the  Observateur  Catholique,  and  a  few  years 
afterwards  the  Union  Chre'tienne.  In  these  two 
periodicals  he  gladly  welcomed  letters  and  papers 
written  by  Anglican  Churchmen,  and,  acting  for  the 
society,  I  took  advantage  of  his  goodwill  to  present 
the  position  and  the  doctrines  of  the  Anglican  Church 
to  his  readers.  Guettee  commented  on  these  con- 
tributions, and  on  the  letters  which  were  written  in 
opposition  to  them,  in  a  spirit  of  most  perfect  fairness. 
He  also  published  a  valuable  history  of  the  Church 
and  a  history  of  the  Jesuits.  But  how  were  these 
books  to  be  sold  ?  and  how  were  the  periodicals  to  be 


182  PARIS  [1856-72 

maintained  ?  With  few  exceptions,  French  ecclesi- 
astics were  now  Ultramontane  ;  Guettee  had  been 
condemned  by  Bishop  after  Bishop  for  his  Gallicanism, 
which  they  denounced  as  something  approaching  to, 
and  equally  bad  with,  Protestantism.  Guettee  had  no 
private  income  or  fixed  ecclesiastical  provision,  and 
the  circulation  of  his  writings  was  prohibited  by 
authority.  Any  priest  known  to  subscribe  to  or  to 
receive  copies  of  his  periodicals  became  a  marked 
man  ;  and  for  a  priest  to  become  a  marked  man  in 
France,  where,  with  comparatively  few  exceptions,  the 
Bishop's  power  over  him  is  despotic,  is  ruin.  How 
was  Guettee  to  live  ?  '  We  could  have  his  services,' 
said  Dr.  Godfray,  'for  £100  a  year.'  But  it  is  not  a 
practice  of  the  English  Church  or  of  English  societies 
to  subsidize  writers  in  such  a  case.  It  is,  I  believe, 
the  practice  of  the  Russian  Church.  However  that 
may  be,  Guettee  found  it  necessary,  or  thought  it 
right,  to  join  the  Russian  Church,  and,  taking  his 
plunge,  he  came  up  as  M.  Wladimir  Guettee.  From 
this  time  the  character  of  the  Union  Chretienne  was 
entirely  changed.  M.  Guettee  showed  himself  irritated 
with  Anglicans,  and  bitterly  hostile  to  the  Anglican 
Church,  while  everything  in  the  Oriental  Church  was 
perfect.  Nevertheless,  the  leavening  of  the  French 
clerical  mind  had  continued  for  many  years,  and  was 
not  without  its  effect.  Bread  cast  upon  the  waters  is 
not  to  be  found  till  after  many  days. 

For  Italy  I  entered  into  communication  with  Count 
Ottavio  Tasca.  This  patriotic  nobleman,  having  his 
residence  in  the  North  of  Italy,  was  driven  from  home 
and  country  by  the  Austrian  Occupation,  to  which  he 
would  not  submit.  Twice  he  narrowly  escaped  with 
his  life.  Once  his  palazzo  was  attacked  by  the  Austrian 
troops,  and  he  was  saved  by  a  party  of  Garibaldian 
volunteers  who  arrived  at  the  nick  of  time.  Another 
time  he  was  pursued  by  Austrian  soldiers  to  the  Lake 


1853-591        COUNT  OTTAVIO  TASCA  183 

of  Como,  whence  he  fled  on  foot  across  the  Swiss 
border.     He   suffered   exile   for  ten   years  while  his 
house  and  patrimony  were  wasted  by  the  enemy.     He 
chose  Hyeres  for  his  place  of  exile,  and  there  he  was 
fortunate  enough  to  meet,  season  after  season,  English 
families,   from   whom    he    received   sympathy  which 
ripened  into  friendship.      He  used  in  after-years  to 
tell  how  much  he  was  impressed  by  the  influence  which 
religion  appeared  to  exercise  over  their  lives ;  they 
seemed  not  only  to   accept   dogmas,   but   to   believe 
truths.     Then  he  inquired  into   the  nature  of  their 
religion,  and  found  that  their  faith  was  simple  and 
reasonable,  and  such  as  he  could  embrace,  especially 
as  that  did  not  involve  subjection  to  the  Curia  and 
the  Pope,  whom  he  regarded  as  the  enemies  of  his 
Sovereign.     One  of  the  Englishmen  with  whom  he 
associated  was  Mr.  R.  F.  Wilson,  Mr.  Keble's  curate, 
who  was  at  Hy&res  for  his  wife's  health.     Mr,  Wilson 
wrote  to  me  asking  if  I  could  not  give  the  Count  some 
translation  work  to  do,  as  he  could  derive  nothing 
from   his   estates.     I   at   once   sent  him  a  pamphlet, 
Papal  Supremacy  tested  by  Antiquity \  to  translate,  which 
he  gladly  undertook  to  do.     He  was  at  this  time  re- 
duced to  such  straits  that  he  could  not  find  stamps  for 
his  letters — a  very  great  distress  to  a  proud  and  free- 
handed gentleman.     This  was  the  first  of  sixteen  trans- 
lations which  the  Count  made  for  the  society  at  my 
request,  two  of  which  were  a  volume  of  hymns  and 
some  extracts  from  Keble's  Christian  Year,  for  he  was 
a  poet  as  well  as  a  prose-writer.     He  also  had  the 
Italian  gift  or  art  of  improvising.     On  his  return  to 
his   ruined  home,   he  was   appointed   by  the  Italian 
Government  superintendent  of  the  hospitals  in  Lom- 
bardy  during  the  war  of  1859.     Besides  attending  to 
the  bodily  wants  of  the  sick  and  wounded,  he  supplied 
them  freely  with  New  Testaments  or  small  portions 
of  Holy  Scripture,  and  prepared  a  simple  uncontrover- 


184  LOMBARDY  [1859-72 

sial  manual  of  soldiers'  prayers,  taken  partly  from  the 

English  Prayer-Book.  The  Bishop  of  Bergamo,  hearing 

of  this,  wrote  to  the  Minister  of  War  complaining  of 

his  proselytism.     The  Minister  asked  the  Count  for 

an  explanation,  and,  on  receiving  it,  assured  him  that 

there  was  nothing  which  any  good  Catholic  or  patriot 

could  object  to  in  his  action,  and  encouraged  him  to 

persevere.     The  Count  possessed  many  decorations, 

among  which  the  most  valued  was  the  Commander's 

Cross  of  the  Order  of  SS.  Maurizio  and  Lazarus,  as 

showing  the  favour  of  his  Sovereign  and  being  a  record 

of  his  services  to  his  country.     In  his  last  illness,  Mr. 

W.  C.  Langdon,  a  presbyter  of  the  American  Church, 

administered  the  last  rites  to  him,  and  for  this  reason, 

as  well  as  his  general  character  for  heresy,  the  Bishop 

of    Bergamo  forbade  his  body  being  taken  into  the 

church  ;  but  the  whole  population  of  the  place  and 

neighbourhood    thronged    to    his    house   to   do   him 

honour,  and  accompanied  his  funeral   procession  to 

the  cemetery. 

In  Spain  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Cabrera,  while  still  an  exile 
at  Gibraltar,  translated  into  Spanish  Bishop  Cosin's 
work  on  the  English  Church,  and  at  a  later  date 
Bishop  Harold  Browne's  Exposition  of  the  Articles. 
Preparation  was  thus  made  for  active  exertion  in 
different  countries  when  the  due  time  should  have 
come;  and  this  came — for  Italy  in  1861,  for  Spain  in 
1867,  for  Germany  in  1871,  and  for  France  in  1878. 


/< 


H^\HP 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

01 


CHAPTER  IX 

Ireland — Irish  Church  missions — Inquiry  classes — Maynooth. 

DURING  one  of  my  vacations  in  1854,  I  visited  Ireland 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  with  my  own  eyes  what 
was  the  effect  of  the  Irish  Church  missions,  as 
conducted  specially  in  Connemara.  I  first  went  to 
Dublin,  and  there  I  attended  the  discussion  or  inquiry 
classes,  which  were  open  to  all  that  pleased  to  come, 
and  those  that  came  were  allowed  to  ask  any  questions 
on  religious  matters  or  discuss  subjects  previously 
appointed.  There  were  three  such  classes  held  weekly. 
The  first  that  I  went  to  was  conducted  by  Mr.  McGuig- 
ham ;  there  were  about  fifty  persons  present,  and  the 
subject  was,  '  Is  Confirmation  a  Sacrament  ?'  After 
the  exposition  of  a  psalm,  and  a  prayer,  the  chairman 
called  on  a  Mr.  Barrey  to  speak.  But  before  he  could 
begin,  one  of  those  present  insisted  on  rediscussing 
last  week's  subject.  '  Sit  down,'  said  the  chairman — 
1  sit  down,  or  go  out/  Then,  as  the  interruption  con- 
tinued, '  Take  that  man  by  the  shoulder  and  put  him 
out,  or  send  for  a  policeman.'  Someone  went  for  a 
policeman,  on  which  the  disorderly  speaker  stalked  out. 
Then  Mr.  Barrey  began.  He  would  prove  his  point  on 
Roman  Catholic  testimony ;  then  he  read  a  passage 
from  Dr.  Doyle  saying  that  there  were  three  condi- 
tions necessary  for  a  Sacrament — the  outward  part,  the 
inward  grace,  the  institution  by  Christ.  But  there  was 
no  such  institution  of  Confirmation  recorded.  Further, 

185 


1 86  DUBLIN  [1854 

the  form  used  at  present  by  the  Church  of  Rome  for  the 
rite  was  novel.  He  spoke  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
which  was  the  limit  for  each  speech.  He  was  followed 
by  an  angry  Roman  Catholic,  named  Flood,  who  spent 
his  quarter  of  an  hour  in  abusing  the  previous  speaker. 
What  did  he  know  about  it  ?  At  what  University  had 
he  graduated  ?  By  whom  had  he  been  ordained  ?  The 
speaker  would  defend  the  Catholic  Church  against  him. 
Next  came  a  fierce  Protestant ;  then  another  on  the 
Protestant  side ;  then  another  on  the  Romanist  side. 
After  that  came  speeches  of  five  minutes.  The  last 
Romanist  speaker  justified  the  present  Roman  usage 
on  the  principle  of  development.  The  Romanist  who 
had  spoken  first  did  not  approve  of  this,  and  exclaimed 
that  the  other  did  not  know  what  he  was  talking  about. 
At  the  conclusion  the  chairman  said  he  wished  to 
explain  to  his  Roman  Catholic  friends  that  we  held 
Baptism,  Holy  Communion,  and  Confirmation  as  much 
as  they  did,  but  we  said  that  ours  was  the  true,  and 
theirs  a  corrupted,  doctrine  about  them.  He  then  pro- 
posed to  end  with  a  prayer.  '  If  ye  would  pray  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin,'  cried  Mr.  Flood,  '  I  would  stay.'  As 
he  moved  off,  the  chairman  said  good-humouredly : 
1  She  is  a  great  deal  better  employed  than  in  listening 
to  us.'  He  then  said  a  simple  prayer,  and  the  meet- 
ing broke  up  in  the  most  quiet  and  orderly  manner 
possible. 

On  another  occasion  the  question  was,  How  to  use 
Scripture  so  as  to  understand  it.  The  first  said,  *  By 
reading  it ';  the  second  said,  *  When  I  was  a  boy,  the 
way  in  which  I  found  out  whether  a  potato  was  good 
or  not  was  by  asking  my  mother.  If  she  told  me  'twas 
good,  I  ate  it ;  and  if  she  said  it  was  bad,  I  threw  it 
away  ;  and  so  I  do  now  what  my  mother  tells  me.' 

*  And  how  do  you  know  what  Mother  Church  says  ?' 

*  By  asking  the  priest.'     '  And  what  do  you  say  ?'  said 
the  chairman  to  a  third.    '  I  am  an  unlearned  man,  but 


i854]  IRISH  INQUIRY  CLASSES  187 

I  can  understand  what  you  read  me  out  of  the  Scrip- 
tures.' *  And  you  ?'  This  man  read  the  verse  from 
the  Acts,  *  How  shall  I  understand  without  someone 
to  teach  me  ?'  This  delighted  the  first  speaker  on  the 
Roman  Catholic  side,  and  he  winked  at  me,  as  much  as 
to  say  that  that  was  incontrovertible.  *  And  you  ?' 
said  the  chairman  to  a  young  woman.  '  By  asking  the 
help  of  God's  Holy  Spirit.'  '  Well,  boys,'  said  Mr. 
McGuigham,  'that's  not  a  bad  plan,  neither;  and  do 
you  recollect  a  text  about  that  ?'  *  "  How  much  more 
shall  your  Heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  Him  ?"  '  said  two  or  three  at  once.  Here 
the  class  abruptly  came  to  an  end,  as  it  was  nearly 
church  time. 

Similar  inquiry  classes  were  held  in  Galway.  I 
attended  one  a  week  later.  There  were  about  seventy 
present.  The  first  question  asked  was,  '  How  can 
you  prove  that  the  Bible  is  God's  Word  ?'  Mr. 
Brownrigg,  the  chairman,  answered:  'By  external  and 
internal  testimony  and  the  agreement  of  all  Churches.' 
*  But  I  want  you  to  prove  it  from  the  Bible.'  '  If  you 
mean  that  you  want  a  text  showing  the  value  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  you  may  take  that  addressed  by  St. 
Paul  to  Timothy,  "  From  a  child  thou  hast  known  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  which  are  able  to  make  thee  wise 
unto  salvation.  All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration 
of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for 
correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness"  (2  Tim. 
iii.  15).  And  our  Lord  recognised  the  Old  Testament 
as  the  Word  of  God.'  Then  came  the  inquiry,  VWhen 
did  the  Protestant  Church  begin  ?'  To  which  Mr. 
Brownrigg  answered:  'When  Christianity  was  first 
preached  in  Ireland  by  St.  Patrick.'  '  But  St.  Patrick 
was  not  a  Protestant.'  'No ;  because  the  false  doctrines 
against  which  protest  is  made  had  not  then  come  into 
existence.  But  he  held  the  faith  which  Protestants 
now  hold,  and  not  that  which  Roman  Catholics  hold. 


188  GALWAY  [1854 

To  be  a  Catholic  is  one  thing,  and  to  be  a  Roman 
Catholic  is  another.  When  Catholicism  became  cor- 
rupted into  Roman  Catholicism,  it  was  necessary  for 
right  believers  to  be  Protestant  against  Romanism.' 

The  boys  were  as  quick-witted  and  forward  as  the 
men.  In  the  mission-house  at  Galway  I  examined 
about  sixty  boys  and  girls  in  the  Creed.  When  we 
got  to  the  Resurrection  of  the  Body,  one  of  the  boys 
asked  where  the  soul  was  before  it  was  reunited  to 
the  body.  I  replied  that  that  had  not  been  fully 
declared  in  Scripture.  *  Sure,  they  are  in  Purgatory,' 
shouted  the  boys  together.  'The  penitent  thief  went 
to  Paradise/  I  said.  They  thought  that  he  would  have 
been  excused,  but  that  all  others  must  go  to  Purgatory, 
'  because  there  was  no  other  place  for  them  to  go  to.' 
'  And  how  do  you  know  that  there  is  such  a  place  as 
Purgatory  ?'  '  Because  the  Church  says  so.'  '  And 
how  do  you  know  that  the  Church  says  so?'  'Because 
the  priest  says  so.'  'And  who  told  the  priest?'  'The 
Bishop  told  him.'  'And  who  told  the  Bishop?'  'I 
think,'  said  one  voice,  'that  the  Pope  told  him.'  'And 
who  told  the  Pope  ?'  The  Pope  had  not  yet  been 
made  infallible  by  the  Jesuits,  and  Dr.  Manning  and 
Mr.  Odo  Russell  at  the  Vatican  Council,  so  there  was 
silence.  Fifteen  }rears  afterwards  they  would  not  have 
been  at  a  loss  for  an  answer. 

I  heard  another  application  of  the  text  relating  to 
the  penitent  thief  in  a  controversial  class  held  by  Mr. 
McCarthy  in  Dublin,  at  which  about  700  persons  were 
present.  Did  not  the  thief  on  the  cross,  inquired  a 
Roman  Catholic,  have  to  suffer  punishment  for  his 
sins,  though  the  guilt  was  forgiven  him,  and  so  must 
not  everyone  suffer  for  sin  either  by  penance  in  this 
life  or  by  Purgatory  in  the  life  to  come  ?  Mr.  McCarthy 
replied  that  he  suffered  by  the  law  of  the  land  because 
he  had  transgressed  its  precepts,  but  that  in  the  sight 
of  God  he  was  wholly  forgiven  on  his  penitence.  At 


i854]     DEAN  OF  MAYNOOTH  COLLEGE       189 

the  same  class  another  asked  how  the  chairman  knew 
that  the  Bible  was  God's  Word  at  all.  As  the  inquirer 
was  a  Roman  Catholic,  Mr.  McCarthy  replied  with  an 
argumentum  ad  hominem  by  reading  the  anathema  of 
the  Council  of  Trent  on  all  who  denied  it. 

At  Maynooth  I  had  some  conversation  with  the 
Dean  of  the  college,  Dr.  Gaffney.  He  said  that  New- 
man's book  on  development  was  written  before  he  was 
a  Catholic,  and  was  disallowed  by  the  Church.  The 
Immaculate  Conception  (which  had  in  that  year  been 
adopted  at  Rome)  was  not  to  be  proved  by  Newman's 
doctrine  of  development,  but  had  always  been  held  in 
the  Church. 

'  By  St.  Bernard,  for  instance  ?'  I  said. 

4  What  St.  Bernard  objected  to,'  he  replied,  'was  the 
institution  of  a  festival  by  the  Church  of  Lyons ;  but 
that  was  only  because  it  had  not  the  sanction  of  Rome 
in  doing  so.' 

'  But,'  I  said,  '  St.  Bernard  gives  his  reason  for 
objecting,  and  it  is  not  that.' 

'  Ah,  well,  it  has  always  been  held ;'  and  he  began 
turning  over  his  Breviary  to  find  some  quotations  on 
the  subject. 

1  But  is  not  the  extract  from  St.  Augustine,  as  well 
as  many  other  passages  in  the  Breviary,  spurious  ?' 

'Ah,  that  is  true,'  he  replied;  'but  it  is  so  difficult  to 
get  anything  altered  in  the  Breviary,  because  there  are 
so  many  copies  printed.' 

'  But  have  there  not  been  several  editions  of  the 
Breviary  ?' 

'Some,  but  not  many. 

He  told  me  that  there  were  at  Maynooth  twenty 
Professors  and  upwards  of  500  students.  Their  manual 
of  dogmatic  theology  was  Perrone's  Preelections,  and 
of  moral  theology  Scavini's,  Rome  having  condemned 
Bailly  on  account  of  his  Gallicanism,  and  Scavini  being 
based  entirely  on  St.  Alfonso  de'  Liguori.  Gallicanism 


190  GALWAY  [1854 

was,  happily,  now  superseded  in  France  by  Ultra- 
montane or  Roman  sentiments.  He  had  himself  been 
at  St.  Sulpice  for  several  years,  and  he  believed  Louis 
Napoleon  to  have  become  deeply  pious,  and  to  be  an 
instrument  in  God's  hands  for  the  strengthening  of  the 
Church  in  France.  In  Austria,  too,  the  young  Emperor 
was  much  more  friendly  to  Rome  than  his  predecessor, 
who  would  not  allow  the  Austrian  Bishops  to  go  to 
Rome  for  the  canonization  of  Liguori.  He  walked 
with  me  through  the  new,  handsome  quadrangle  of 
the  college,  and  we  parted  at  the  gate  on  very  friendly 
terms. 

A  few  days  later  I  went  to  the  Galway  Queen's 
College.  There  were  fourteen  Professors  there,  five 
of  whom  were  Roman  Catholics.  The  students  were 
about  seventy  in  number,  of  whom  forty-five  were 
Roman  Catholics.  The  Pope  had  condemned  the 
college,  and  therefore  none  but  laymen  could  be  now 
Professors  there.  Two  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Pro- 
fessors gave  up  their  post  by  the  command  of  Arch- 
bishop McHale  when  the  Pope  condemned  the  colleges. 

I  had  witnessed  the  very  irreverent  manner  in 
which  the  poor  are  buried,  after  their  bodies  have  left 
the  church,  in  Spain  and  in  the  South  of  Italy.  In 
Spain  they  are  laid  in  a  long  shallow  trench,  passing 
from  one  side  of  the  cemetery  to  the  other,  without 
coffin  and  without  any  words  of  prayer;  and  in 
Naples  they  are  put  out  of  sight  in  a  very  perfunctory 
manner  in  a  vast  receptacle  for  corpses.*  Seeing  a 

*  '  The  Campo  Santo  here  (Seville)  is  rather  more  untidy  than  that 
at  Malaga,  but  in  all  material  respects  much  the  same — a  large  square 
space  surrounded  with  four  high  walls,  in  the  width  of  which  are  the 
niches  for  the  dead,  rising  in  tiers  one  above  another ;  the  centre 
space  all  coarse  broken  ground,  and  overgrown  with  nettles.  We 
passed  through  the  first  court  into  a  second,  and  there  I  expected  to 
see  the  coffin  placed  in  one  of  the  niches  and  walled  in  ;  but  no, 
there  was  a  wide,  shallow  trench  running  all  across  this  interior 
square,  which  seemed  to  be  filled  up  about  halfway.  A  couple  of 


i8s4]  IRISH  FUNERALS  191 

funeral  pass  in  Galway,  I  followed  to  witness  the 
Irish  method  of  burial.  It  was  not  revolting  like  the 
Spanish  method,  but  it  was  more  singular.  The  gate 
of  the  cemetery  is  generally  kept  fastened,  but  when 
a  funeral  takes  place  the  entrance  is  open  to  anyone. 
There  were  as  many  as  fifty  or  sixty  women  following 
the  coffin  on  the  present  occasion  in  a  somewhat  dis- 
orderly manner.  As  soon  as  the  gate  was  unlocked, 
they  spread  themselves  about  the  churchyard,  throw- 
ing themselves  down  upon  the  tombs  of  their  relatives. 
Then  they  half  lifted  themselves,  and,  bending  their 
bodies  backwards  and  forwards,  raised  the  '  Irish  howl.' 
At  first  they  exhibited  no  real  grief,  but  soon  the 
physical  exercise  produced  a  corresponding  feeling,  and 
they  began  to  pour  forth  real  and  bitter  tears,  crying 
all  the  time  at  the  tops  of  their  voices  with  a  not 
unmelodious  cadence,  sometimes  beating  the  stone  or 
the  ground  with  their  hands  and  sometimes  kissing 
it,  and  again  bursting  out  with  an  astonishing  volume 
of  sound. 

The  churchyard  was  kept  very  negligently,  so  that 
many  of  them  seemed  to  be  sitting  in  the  nettles. 
While  I  was  looking  at  one  party,  an  unusually  loud 

men  were  beckoned  to  the  spot,  who  came  with  their  hoes  and  hooked 
out  a  little  place  about  a  foot  deep  in  the  loose  ground  ;  the  coffin 
was  then  opened,  and  the  body  taken  out  and  laid  in  the  hole.  The 
sexton  took  the  pillow  that  had  laid  under  its  head,  and  tore  it  into 
rags  and  spread  it  over  the  face  of  the  corpse,  while  his  companion 
threw  a  few  basketfuls  of  earth,  and  then  jumped  down  himself  and 
trod  it  in.  I  had  stood  close  by,  and  watched  the  whole  proceeding 
up  to  this  point  with  a  kind  of  creeping  horror  ;  but  now  I  could  bear 
it  no  more — it  was  literally  treading  on  the  corpse's  face.  I  turned 
away  and  left,  and  the  others  followed  me.  I  had  been  present  the 
whole  time  ;  I  heard  no  voice  of  prayer,  and  saw  no  sign  of  it,  except 
that  for  a  moment,  as  the  corpse  was  laid  in  the  ground,  the  attendants 
took  off  their  hats.  "  And  this,"  I  said  to  myself,  as  I  walked  slowly 
home  and  watched  the  evening  shadows  come  over  the  meadow — "  this 
is  the  burial  of  Christ's  poor  in  Catholic  Spain  "  (Practical  Working 
of  the  Church  of  Spain ,  p.  241). 


192  GALWAY  [1854 

cry  would  call  my  attention  to  another  spot,  where 
nothing  could  be  seen  but  a  red  gown  prostrate  among 
the  nettles.  Sometimes  there  was  a  chorus  of  yells 
throughout  the  churchyard.  The  burial  was  per- 
formed in  a  very  slovenly  way.  The  grave  was  very 
shallow,  and  I  counted  six  skulls,  which  had  been 
thrown  out  and  were  lying  by  the  side,  besides 
numberless  bones.  A  friar  came  and  sprinkled  the 
coffin  with  holy-water,  and  read  the  Latin  prayers 
over  it  as  soon  as  the  nearest  woman  had  been 
hushed  a  little,  so  that  his  voice  could  be  heard ;  the 
body  was  then  laid  in  the  grave,  and  the  men  standing 
round  kicked  in  the  bones  and  the  skulls,  most  of 
which  broke  as  they  fell ;  two  people  with  spades 
tossed  in  the  mould,  and  the  old  stone  was  put  on 
again,  the  only  difference  being  that  it  stood  a  little 
higher.  Meantime  the  women  continued  their  exer- 
cise, and  I  went  round  and  watched  them  closely,  at 
which  some  cried  the  louder,  though  some  were  so 
much  engrossed  with  the  grief  into  which  they  had 
worked  themselves  as  to  notice  no  one.  In  about  an 
hour  the  cemetery  was  again  silent. 

As  I  came  out  from  the  churchyard,  two  men,  of  the 
shopkeeper  class,  showed  me  the  neighbouring  Fran- 
ciscan church,  and  entered  into  conversation.  I  put 
to  them  a  question  which  I  have  put  to  any  Irishman 
to  whom  I  had  the  opportunity  of  speaking  on  the 
subject,  'What  is  an  indulgence?'  Never  once  did  I 
find  the  slightest  apprehension  of  the  subtlety  that 
the  temporal  punishment  of  sin  is  forgiven  by  an  in- 
dulgence as  distinct  from  its  guilt  and  eternal  punish- 
ment. '  It  is  having  our  sins  forgiven  if  we  have  right 
dispositions  and  do  what  the  Church  orders  us.'  '  What 
is  the  difference  between  a  plenary  indulgence  and 
an  indulgence  for  forty  days  ?'  They  had  not  the 
least  idea ;  one  hazarded  the  answer  that,  if  you  did 
what  you  should,  the  sins  which  you  had  committed 


1854]  IRISH  CHURCH  MISSIONS  193 

during  the  last  forty  days  were  forgiven  in  the  latter 
case,  and  during  your  whole  life  in  the  former. 
Indulgences  also  got  people  out  of  Purgatory,  and 
the  existence  of  Purgatory  could  be  proved  from 
Scripture.  '  Indeed  !  how  ?'  '  Blasphemy  against  the 
Holy  Ghost  should  not  be  forgiven  in  this  world  or 
in  the  world  to  come,  but  so  as  by  fire.'  I  told  him 
that  the  first  part  of  the  text  came  from  the  Gospels, 
and  the  last  from  the  Epistles.  'Ah,  but  it  was 
understood  in  the  Gospels.'  I  advised  him  to  read 
his  Bible  more  carefully.  The  other  then  burst  in : 
'  I  would  not  give  my  old  coat  for  the  Bible  and  all 
that's  in  it.'  I  pointed  out  to  him  gravely  the  pro- 
fanity of  the  words  he  had  used,  and  said  that  I  was 
sure  that  if  he  had  a  Bible  he  would  never  say  such 
a  thing.  Of  course  he  had  none. 

Passing  through  the  street  on  my  return,  I  heard 
a  characteristically  Irish  conversation  between  two 
old  women.  '  He  tells  me  my  house  is  dirty,'  moaned 
one  to  the  other,  'and,  sure,  there  is  the  little  pig; 
and  will  I  turn  him  out  into  the  street  ?'  ( No,  indeed,' 
said  the  other. 

At  Clifden,  which  was  the  centre  of  the  Connemara 
movement,  I  made  acquaintance  with  Mr.  D'Arcy, 
a  kind,  white-headed  old  man,  to  whom  the  Irish 
missions  owe  much. 

The  D'Arcys  once  owned  a  large  house  called  the 
Castle,  which  has  now  passed  from  their  hands.  Close 
by  it  was  another  house,  which  my  guide  told  me  was 
called  a  '  rabbit-warren,'  because  there  were  so  many 
jumpers  (converts)  going  in  and  out  of  it  at  all  times. 
The  priest,  he  said,  always  curses  it  as  he  passes. 

'  And  whom  does  he  curse  ? 

'  The  housekeeper !' 

'  And  does  he  curse  him  in  the  church,  too  ?' 

'  Yes,  almost  every  Sunday.' 

'  At  what  time  ?' 

13 


194  CONNEMARA  [1854 

1  After  Mass.' 

1  What  does  he  say  ?' 

'  He  curses  the  people  in  the  house,  and  tells  us  not 
to  speak  to  them.' 

'  What  good  does  the  curse  do  ?' 

'  Troth,  and  I  don't  think  it  does  much  good  !' 

*  And  do  the  people  avoid  speaking  to  them  ?' 

1  In  faith,  they  don't !' 

This  sort  of  social  excommunication,  however,  be- 
came a  very  real  thing,  and  was  the  foundation  of  the 
system  of  boycotting. 

Shortly  afterwards  Mr.  Goodisson,  the  clergyman 
of  Ballynakill,  gave  me  an  illustration  of  the  cursing 
system  prevailing  in  Ireland  :  '  Last  week  the  Roman 
priest  had  gone  to  an  old  woman's  field  and  desired 
his  man  to  take  a  tithe  of  the  corn.  The  old  woman 
went  down  upon  her  knees  and  cursed  anyone  who 
should  take  it.  The  priest  had  a  stick  in  his  hand, 
and  struck  her  over  the  shoulders  with  it,  making 
bruises,  which  she  afterwards  publicly  exhibited.  As 
she  went  on  declaiming,  he  told  her  that  if  she  was 
not  quiet  he  would  'wipe  off  his  feet  against  her.' 
This  meant  that  he  would  wipe  his  feet  along  the 
ground  against  her,  which  was  the  same  thing  as 
shaking  off  the  dust  of  his  feet  against  her.  She  again 
went  down  on  her  knees,  and  prayed  that  any  evil 
that  might  come  of  it  might  fall  upon  his  head,  and 
not  hers.  It  happened  that  an  accident  befell  the 
priest  when  he  was  returning,  which  caused  much  talk 
in  the  place. 

At  Clifden  I  witnessed  for  the  first  time  a  public 
recitation  of  the  Ave  Maria.  There  was  a  congregation 
of  about  twenty-four,  and  three  priests  were  kneel- 
ing on  the  altar-step.  They  divided  themselves  into 
two  sections,  the  first  of  which  recited  '  Hail,  Mary, 
full  of  grace ;  blessed  art  thou  among  women,  and 
blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus.'  The  other 


i854]  IRISH  CHURCH  MISSIONS  195 

half  continued  the  modern  addition,  *  Holy  Mary, 
Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  now  and  at  the  hour  of 
death.'  This  was  said  ten  times  in  succession.  Then 
came  the  '  Our  Father,'  divided  in  half  in  the  same 
way ;  then  ten  more  *  Hail,  Marys ';  then  the  '  Glory 
be  to  the  Father,'  divided  in  half;  after  which  again 
ten  more  '  Hail,  Marys.'  The  rosary  being  concluded, 
there  followed  a  litany,  in  which  the  name  of  some 
saint  was  read  by  one  of  the  priests,  and  the  whole 
congregation  responded,  '  Pray  for  us.' 

The  general  charge  against  the  Irish  missions  in 
Connemara  was  that  they  did  not  teach  a  positive 
Christianity,  but  only  a  negation  of  Romanism.  I 
went  to  many  churches  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Clifden,  and  at  Clifden  itself,  and  I  found  that  this 
charge  was  not  justified  by  the  character  of  the 
sermons  preached  and  by  the  instruction  given. 
Several  orphan  institutions  had  been  established  for 
the  children  of  those  who  had  died  in  the  late  famine. 
I  examined  the  girls  in  the  orphan  house  at  Clifden, 
to  see  what  the  character  of  their  positive  teaching 
was. 

'  What  religion  were  they  of  ?' 

1  The  Christian  religion.' 

*  Why  are  we  called  Christians  ?' 
1  Because  we  trust  in  Christ.' 

'  Are  we  Catholics  ?' 

1  Yes.' 

1  Do  we  hold  the  Catholic  faith  ?' 

'  Yes.' 

'  Where  is  that  to  be  found  ?' 

1  In  the  Bible.' 

'  And  where  its  chief  articles  ?' 

1  In  the  Creed.' 

'  How  many  creeds  are  there  ?' 

'  Three.' 

*  What  are  they  ?' 

13—2 


196  ST.  COLUMBA'S  COLLEGE  [1854 

'The  Apostles'  Creed,  the  Nicene  Creed,  and  the 
Athanasian  Creed/ 

'  Is  it  right  to  speak  of  Roman  Catholics  as  the 
Catholics  ?' 

'No.' 

'  Why  not  ?' 

'  Because  they  are  Roman  Catholics.' 

I  then  examined  them  in  the  books  of  the  Bible 
and  their  chief  contents,  in  which  they  showed  them- 
selves very  well  informed.  At  the  end  I  said  : 

'  Can  you  tell  me  what  is  the  chief  doctrine  of 
Christianity  ?' 

There  was  a  pause,  and  then  one  of  them  answered : 

'Jesus  Christ,  and  He  crucified.' 

They  then  sang  an  Irish  hymn.  It  was  a  touching 
and  interesting  sight.  Here  were  forty-five  girls  who 
would  have  been  in  the  workhouse,  or  living  like  other 
children  in  Ireland,  '  with  the  pigs '  and  half  naked, 
who  were  clothed,  gentle-mannered,  well  taught,  be- 
having as  Christians  and  almost  as  ladies.  There  was 
an  orphan  institution  for  boys  also,  of  whom  there 
were  thirty-eight.  The  two  orphan  schools  together 
cost  £100  a  year.  When  the  children  are  grown  up 
they  go  out  to  service. 

I  came  away  from  Connemara  with  the  conviction 
that  a  thoroughly  good  work  had  been  done  and  was 
doing  there.  Before  leaving  Ireland  I  paid  a  visit  to 
St.  Columba's  College,  which  owes  its  existence  to 
Dr.  Sewell,  and  was  at  the  time  conducted  by  my 
friend  George  Williams,  of  King's  College,  Cambridge. 
The  tone  of  this  school  is  somewhat  different  from 
that  represented  by  the  Irish  Church  Mission  Society. 
My  sympathies  were  with  both  the  schools  of  Irish 
Churchmen  represented  by  these  two  institutions. 
In  Dublin  I  had  preached  in  the  highest  and  in  the 
lowest  church,  and  found  myself  at  home  in  each. 


CHAPTER  X 

Germany  and  Holland — Professor  Hengstenberg — The  Evangelical 
Church — The  Dutch  Jansenist  Church. 

DURING  the  years  1857-1859  I  held  several  University 
offices  at  Oxford,  being  Public  Examiner  in  Classics 
(Class  and  Pass),  Select  Preacher,  Preacher  at  White- 
hall, Proctor,  Examiner  for  the  Johnson  Theological 
Scholarship,  Oxford  Examiner  at  Rugby  (where  Arch- 
bishop Temple  was  Headmaster,  and  Archbishop 
Benson  one  of  the  other  masters),  University  Ex- 
aminer at  Winchester  College  (this  last  post  I  filled 
twice :  on  the  first  occasion  I  selected  for  the  Goddard 
Scholarship  Dr.  Fearon,  afterwards  Headmaster  of 
Winchester,  and  the  second  time  Dr.  Phillpotts,  after- 
wards Headmaster  of  Bedford  School).  Owing,  per- 
haps, to  the  strain  caused  by  these  occupations,  as  I 
also  held  the  offices  of  Tutor  and  Dean  in  my  college, 
my  eyes  began  to  give  me  trouble,  and  I  went  abroad 
to  consult  an  oculist  of  great  reputation  at  the  time, 
named  De  Leuw.  He  was  a  Dutchman  who  lived  in 
a  little  village  named  Grafrath,  near  Diisseldorf.  His 
name  being  very  unpronounceable,  he  was  generally 
spoken  of  by  his  title  'the  Hofrath.'  In  the  little 
village  of  Grafrath  there  were  collected  a  number  of 
patients  from  all  parts  of  Europe  and  America.  There 
was  but  one  hotel  in  the  village,  so  that  most  of  the 
patients  had  to  lodge  in  cottages.  The  Hofrath's 
ways  were  primitive  in  character.  He  would  make  no 

197 


198  BERLIN  [1859 

appointments,  but  he  came  to  the  hotel  every  morning 
at  7  a.m.,  and  went  on  seeing  patients  till  5  p.m.  When 
he  had  finished  with  one,  he  desired  his  servant  to 
introduce  someone  else,  and  if  that  person  were  not 
ready  at  the  moment  he  lost  his  turn ;  in  consequence, 
all  the  patients  had  to  wait  in  the  hall  of  the  hotel, 
although  many  of  them  were  not  summoned.  He  was 
a  kind  and  courteous  old  man.  My  trouble,  he  said, 
simply  arose  from  wearing  spectacles  which  heated 
and  strained  the  eyes.  He  desired  me  instead  to  wear 
double  glasses  of  a  lower  number  than  that  which  I 
was  using,  and  gave  me  a  prescription  of  two  lotions, 
one  for  the  eye,  and  the  other  for  the  forehead.  He 
gave  all  his  prescriptions  in  cipher,  so  that  they  could 
only  be  made  up  by  one  chemist. 

At  Berlin  I  paid  a  visit  to  Professor  Hengstenberg, 
the  foremost  among  the  orthodox  theologians  of 
Germany.  He  was  Doctor  both  of  Philosophy  and 
Theology,  and  leader  of  the  Lutheran  section  of  the 
Evangelical  Church.  The  work  by  which  he  was  best 
known  in  England  was  his  Christology  of  the  Old 
Testament.  He  received  me  in  a  very  friendly  manner, 
and  showed  me  his  library,  which  was  the  room  of  a 
hard-working  student,  containing  a  desk,  a  table,  a 
few  chairs,  and  an  enormous  number  of  books  which 
lined  the  walls.  He  gave  me  an  introduction  to  his 
son,  who  was  pastor  at  Jiiterboch,  with  whom  I  after- 
wards spent  two  days.  Pastor  Hengstenberg  showed 
me  the  ritual  books  used  by  the  Evangelical  Church, 
and  said  that  the  Lutheran  wing  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  desired  to  make  them  more  full  ;  for  the 
Evangelical  Church  of  Germany  is  formed  by  a  union 
of  the  Lutherans,  properly  called  Protestants,  and 
Calvinists,  properly  called  Reformed.  The  chief 
authority  in  it  is  the  Consistory,  formed  of  clergy  and 
laity  nominated  by  the  Crown,  and  a  Superintendent 
for  each  province,  who  fulfils  some  of  the  functions 


i859]      PRESENT  BOHEMIAN  RELIGION        199 

of  a  Bishop.  Pastor  Hengstenberg  lamented  that  so 
little  sympathy  was  shown  by  the  English  Church. 
That  they  had  not  the  Episcopal  Succession  was  the 
result  of  circumstances  which  they  regretted,  and  they 
believed  that  God  would  make  up  the  deficiency.  I 
told  him  the  Anglo-Continental  Society  was  meant  to 
help  towards  union  with  Scandinavian  and  German 
Churches  on  such  principles  as  the  Church  of  England 
could  accept,  as  well  as  to  encourage  reform  in  the 
Latin  and  Greek  Churches.  He  said  that  he  would 
gladly  co-operate. 

At  Prague  I  saw  little  apparent  effect  remaining 
from  the  teaching  and  traditions  of  Huss  and  Jerome. 
Bohemia  passed  on  the  torch  from  Wickliffe  to  Luther, 
but  her  own  light  was  quenched  in  blood  by  Maxi- 
milian of  Bavaria.  Had  our  too  pacific  James  I. 
helped  his  son-in-law,  and  had  the  latter,  victorious 
over  his  opponent,  established  a  Church  of  Bohemia 
similar  to  the  Church  of  England,  which  was  clearly 
the  idea  with  which  Bishop  Andrewes  preached  his 
remarkable  sermon  at  the  Prince's  marriage,  the 
religious  state  of  Central  Europe  might  have  been 
very  different.  As  it  was,  the  Jesuits  were  introduced 
— their  college,  the  Clementinum,  is  now  used  as  a 
University — and  they  completed  the  work  begun  by 
the  sword.  The  children  of  Protestants  were  taught 
to  hate  Protestantism  as  the  children  of  Christians 
who  formed  the  Janissaries  were  taught  by  their 
Mahometan  masters  to  hate  Christianity.  A  scene 
that  I  witnessed  on  the  evening  of  my  arrival  indicated 
the  present  character  of  Bohemian  religion.  In  the 
market-place  there  was  a  picture  of  St.  Mary,  with 
lights  burning  before  it,  in  the  pediment  of  a  column. 
Before  this  picture  a  man  of  the  people  threw  himself 
on  his  knees,  and  began  singing  hymns  and  chanting 
prayers  to  the  Virgin.  As  he  sang  he  was  joined  by 
more  and  more  people,  who  knelt  down,  crossed 


200  UTRECHT  [X8S9 

themselves,    sang,    prayed,    and    bowed    themselves 
before  the  picture. 

In  returning  to  England  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Utrecht,  head  of  the  Jansenist  Church  of 
Holland.     I  believe  that  no  English  Churchman  had 
previously   had   any  communication  with  the  Dutch 
Jansenists,  with  the  exception   of  J.  M,   Neale,  who 
had  twice  visited  Utrecht — in  1851  and  1854 — for  the 
purpose  of  writing  a  history  of  that  Church.     At  that 
time   Archbishop   Van   Santen   occupied   the   See   of 
Utrecht;    he  was  now  dead,  and  Archbishop  Henry 
Van  Loos  had  been  elected.     We  held  a  long  conver- 
sation together,  and  interchanged  several  books  having 
reference  to   our  respective   Churches.     Giving  him 
one   of   the  publications    of   the    Anglo-Continental 
Society,  I  told  him  that  he  would  find  there  the  same 
principles  as  those  on  which  the  Church  of  Holland 
defended    itself.      In    return    he    gave    to  me   some 
Jansenist  publications  in  Latin  and  in  Dutch.     At  a 
later  date  the  Archbishop  gave  valuable  help  to  the 
German    Old    Catholics,    holding    Confirmations   for 
them,  and   promising  to   transmit   the  episcopate  to 
them,  which  promise  was  fulfilled  by  his  successor  in 
the  see,  wrho  was  at  the  time  of  my  visit  Bishop  of 
Deventer. 

The  little  Dutch  Church,  consisting  now  of  three 
Bishops,  twenty-eight  clergy,  and  6,000  laymen,  is  the 
heir  and  representative  of  the  French  Gallicans. 
Gallicanism  was  crushed  in  France  by  Louis  XIV.  at 
the  instance  of  Madame  de  Maintenon  and  his  con- 
fessor. But  Archbishop  Rovenius  and  the  principal 
ecclesiastics  in  Holland  had  declared  their  approval 
in  1641  of  the  Gallican  volume  AugHstinus,  written  by 
Jansen  of  Ypres,  which  had  been  condemned  at  Rome 
on  the  urgent  demand  of  the  Jesuits.  From  that  time 
the  Dutch  Church  was  bitterly  opposed  by  the 
Jesuits,  though  the  Bishops  still  maintained  their 


i859]  JANSENIST  CHURCH  OF  HOLLAND   201 

subjection  to  the  Pope.  But  in  1724  the  Pope  re- 
fused his  consent  to  the  consecration  of  Archbishop 
Steenoven,  and  from  that  date  has  excommunicated 
each  Archbishop  and  Bishop  upon  his  election  and 
consecration.  There  have  been  nine  Archbishops  of 
Utrecht,  seven  of  Haarlem,  and  six  of  Deventer,  who 
have  been  formally  excommunicated  by  the  Court  of 
Rome,  and  have  maintained  their  position  in  spite  of 
their  excommunication.  At  the  time  that  I  saw  the 
Archbishop  there  seemed  little  life  in  the  Church,  as 
the  reforms  had  not  gone  far  enough  to  deny  Roman 
doctrine  as  well  as  Roman  supremacy.  Since  their 
formal  union  with  the  Old  Catholics  of  Germany  and 
Switzerland,  there  is  a  better  hope  for  their  future. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Cardinal  Manning— Manning  and  Newman — Thackeray. 

WHILE  resident  at  Oxford  in  1853  I  was  invited  to 
a  controversial  dinner-party  in  London,  at  which 
four  Roman  Catholics  and  four  members  of  the 
English  Church  (one  of  them  Lord  Robert  Cecil)  were 
present,  the  purpose  of  the  party  being  to  show  to 
a  young  man  present  how  superior  Romanism  was  to 
Protestantism. 

Dr.  Manning  and  Mr.  James  Hope  were  present  on 
the  Roman  side,  and  as  soon  as  the  servants  had  with- 
drawn Manning  began  to  point  out  the  superiority  of 
the  Church  of  Rome  on  the  ground  that  she  held  a 
number  of  doctrines  which  were  essential  parts  of  the 
faith,  and  had  been  rejected  by  Protestants.  When  a 
pause  came,  I  said  that  I  thought  it  a  very  difficult  thing 
to  pass  a  judgment  suddenly  on  matters  of  doctrine, 
but  that  we  could  judge  on  questions  of  morals.  I 
ventured,  therefore,  to  ask  Dr.  Manning  how  he 
accounted  for  the  moral  teaching  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  which  seemed  to  be  unaccordant  with  our 
ideas  of  truthfulness  and  honesty.  He  asked  where  I 
found  the  teaching  of  the  Church  of  Rome  on  the 
subject,  and  I  replied  : 

'  In  St.  Alfonso  de'  Liguori's  Moral  Theology' 
1  St.  Alfonso,'  he  said,  (  and  his  teaching  are  fully 
authorized  by  the  Holy  See,  but  you  have  misunder- 
stood him.     In  allowing  the  use  of  equivocation  or 

202 


i853]  PAPAL  THEORY  OF  TRUTHFULNESS  203 

amphibology,  and  mental  restriction,  he  does  not 
authorize  falsehood,  because  he  says  that  they  are  not 
falsehoods.' 

*  But,'  I  said,  *  is  not  the  question  whether  they 
really  are  falsehoods,  and  not  whether  he  acknow- 
ledges them  to  be  so  ?' 

1  He  is  right,'  said  Manning,  '  in  his  justification  of 
equivocation,  and  you  will  find  much  the  same  teaching 
in  Jeremy  Taylor.' 

*I  think  not,'  I  replied,  'for  Jeremy  Taylor  makes 
the  essence  of  lying  to  be  deceiving  your  neighbour, 
whatever  form  of  words  you  use,  while  Liguori  says 
that  you  may  deceive  your  neighbour  to  any  extent, 
provided  that  you  use  some  form  of  words  which, 
in  your  estimation,  and  to  you,  appears  true.  For 
example,  you  may  deny  that  you  have  done  something 
that  you  have  done,  provided  that  you  prefix  the  words 
"  I  say  "  to  your  denial,  because  then  what  you  mean 
is  merely  that  you  are  making  use  of  those  words 
which  follow  the  expression  "  I  say."  And,  again,'  I 
continued,  '  I  cannot  understand  how  a  man  can  be 
excused  from  the  sin  of  theft  if  he  steals  a  sum  below 
a  given  amount,  different  amounts  being  fixed  for 
different  classes,  from  a  King  to  a  beggar,  so  that  if 
you  stole  half  a  crown  from  one  class  it  would  be 
a  mortal  sin,  causing  death  to  the  soul,  and  if  from 
another  class  it  would  only  be  a  venial  sin,  which 
would  not  diminish  God's  love  towards  you.' 

'There  is  another  work  of  St.  Alfonso's  named 
Homo  Apostolicus,  which  will  set  his  teaching  in  a 
clearer  light,'  replied  Manning.  '  I  will  bring  this 
book  to-morrow,  and  shall  be  happy  to  answer  any 
questions  on  it  which  you  like  to  ask.'  With  this  the 
party  broke  up. 

Manning  brought  the  book  next  day,  which  led  to 
a  correspondence  between  him  and  myself,  which  was 
subsequently  published,  and  was  also  the  cause  of  my 


204  OXFORD  [1851 

writing  several  articles  in  the  Christian  Remembrancer, 
which  were  afterwards  put  together  under  the  title  of 
The  Moral  and  Devotional  Theology  of  the  Church  of 
Rome.  The  correspondence  consisted  of  nineteen 
letters,  in  which  I  assailed,  and  Manning  defended, 
the  two  positions  of  the  Roman  Church :  (i)  That 
theft  is  venial  unless  a  certain  fixed  quantity,  differing 
according  to  the  class  of  the  person  robbed,  is  stolen ; 
(2)  that,  in  making  a  solemn  affirmation  or  oath,  it  is 
allowable  to  mislead  another  by  using  an  equivocal 
word  or  an  equivocal  sentence  or  a  mental  restriction, 
the  effect  of  which  is  not  perceived  by  the  other  party 
to  make  the  affirmation  or  oath  of  no  avail  in  the 
judgment  of  the  person  making  it.  Two  of  the  said 
articles  illustrated  my  view  on  these  points,  and  a 
third  article  exhibited  the  extravagance  of  the  devotion 
to  St.  Mary  that  is  now  authorized.  These  articles 
restrained  R.  I.  Wilberforce  from  joining  the  Church 
of  Rome  until  he  was  overpersuaded  by  Manning. 

Manning  had  at  this  time  been  a  Roman  Catholic 
for  two  or  three  years.  On  Newman's  secession, 
Manning  took  up  the  role  of  the  defender  of  the 
Church  of  England  against  Popery.  But  he  was  too 
much  identified  with  the  Tractarian  party,  now  dis- 
credited by  Newman's  conduct,  to  be  trusted  by  those 
in  high  places.  In  1847  ne  learnt  for  certain  that  he 
would  not  be  promoted  in  the  Church  of  England. 
He  was  not  prepared  to  live  and  die  Archdeacon  of 
Chichester.  There  were  other  worlds,  and  he  would 
turn  his  eyes  to  'pastures  new.'  In  1851  he  submitted 
to  Rome.  His  first  journey  to  Rome  after  his  sub- 
mission was  made  with  Monsignor  Talbot,  one  of  the 
Malahide  family,  who  was  himself  a  convert.  The 
acquaintanceship  of  Monsignor  Talbot,  which  soon 
ripened  into  friendship,  was  of  the  utmost  moment 
to  Manning ;  for  Talbot  was  the  Pope's  Chamberlain, 
always  ready  to  whisper  into  the  ear  of  Pius  IX. 


1851-65]  CARDINAL  MANNING  205 

suggestions  which  the  old  man,  whose  apprehension 
was  not  very  keen,  thought  to  emanate  from  himself 
or  from  heaven.  In  1857  the  Pope  nominated  Manning 
'  Provost  of  the  Chapter  of  Westminster,'  and  in  1865 
to  the  archbishopric  of  Westminster.  In  this  position 
he  ruled  despotically  over  the  Italian  Mission  in 
England,  and  kept  his  heel  on  Dr.  Newman  as  long 
as  Pius  IX.  lived.  But  on  the  death  of  Pius  IX.  (who 
had  made  him  a  Cardinal)  he  was  lost.  His  ipse  dixit 
could  no  longer  make  or  mar  men  in  England  by  his 
influence  at  Rome.  Newman  was  made  a  Cardinal 
at  the  instance  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  and  Lord 
Ripon,  and  Manning  was  left  out  in  the  cold.  The 
effect  on  Manning  was  twofold  :  first,  he  became 
'  profoundly  convinced  of  the  incapacity  of  the  Holy 
Office  [at  Rome],  and  the  essential  injustice  of  its  pro- 
cedures and  its  secrecy ';  and,  secondly,  realizing  that 
he  had  'come  from  the  broad  stream  of  the  English 
Commonwealth  into  the  narrow  community  of  the 
English  Catholics,'  he  tried  to  regain  some  touch  with 
a  section,  at  least,  of  the  English  people  by  heading 
the  party  of  social  reformers. 

*  Mr.  Henry  George  and  Mr.  Davitt  found  not  only 
a  ready  access,  but  a  warm  welcome ;  Mr.  John  Burns, 
Mr.  Ben  Tillett,  Mr.  Tom  Mann,  and  others  of  a  like 
kidney,  preached  their  gospel  at  the  Archbishop's 
house,'  wrote  his  biographer.  This,  too,  was  a  failure, 
and  in  his  old  age  he  looked  sadly  back  '  with  a  strong 
yearning '  to  the  old  days  of  his  Anglican  life.  He 
was  a  high-minded  man  whose  character  was  marred 
by  a  necessity  of  being  first,  and  by  a  double-dealing 
justified  by  the  Church  of  his  adoption.  In  his  earlier 
days  he  was  an  ecclesiastical  politician,  afterwards  an 
actor  in  the  petty  intrigues  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
body  in  England,  lamenting  all  the  while  that  he  was 
not  working  'for  the  people  of  England,'  but  only 
'for  the  Irish  occupation  in  England.'  The  Arch- 


2o6  OXFORD  [1843-45 

deacon  of  Chichester  was  a  nobler  and,  it  would 
seem,  a  happier  man  than  the  '  Archbishop  of  West- 
minster.' 

To  one  who  knew  Dr.  Manning  and  Dr.  Newman 
both  in  their  Anglican  and  their  Roman  phases,  it  is 
a  matter  of  singular  interest  to  note  the  relations  in 
which  they  stood  to  one  another  under  each  of  these 
conditions. 

In  his  undergraduate  days  Manning  was  not 
affected  by  Newman's  influence.  He  had  no  intention 
of  taking  Holy  Orders,  and  he  held  himself  outside  the 
religious  movement  of  the  day.  In  his  last  Long 
Vacation  he  began  to  go  to  St.  Mary's,  and  heard 
Newman  preach ;  and  he  was  once  asked  to  dinner 
by  Newman.  After  his  ordination,  Manning,  begin- 
ning as  an  Evangelical,  grew  by  degrees  into  a  High 
Churchman ;  but  he  was  not  one  of  the  Tractarian 
leaders  until  1838  at  the  soonest.  On  the  publication 
of  Tract  XC,  Manning,  now  Archdeacon  of  Chichester, 
began  to  draw  off  from  the  party,  and  with  this  view 
delivered  a  Charge  containing  an  eloquent  panegyric 
on  the  Church  of  England,  and  in  1843  ne  preached 
a  sermon,  on  November  5,  at  Oxford,  denouncing  the 
Church  of  Rome.  The  day  after  this  sermon  had 
been  preached,  Manning  walked  over  to  Littlemore 
to  call  on  Newman,  but  Newman,  in  whom  a  petty 
petulance  was  ever  joined  with  his  greater  qualities, 
refused  to  see  him.  At  this  time,  perhaps,  first  were 
sown  the  seeds  of  that  mistrust  which  the  two  men 
entertained  for  each  other  to  the  very  last.  In  1845 
Newman  seceded,  and  again  Manning  stood  forward 
as  the  defender  of  the  Church  of  England,  in  an  hour 
of  peril,  by  his  Charge  of  1845.  Up  to  this  time 
Manning's  course  had  been  loyal  and  upright,  incom- 
parably superior  to  that  of  Newman.  The  relations 
of  the  two  men  as  Anglicans  here  cease,  to  be  taken 
up  again  under  different  circumstances  and  in  a 


1845-66]        MANNING  AND  NEWMAN  207 

different  spirit,  when  they  were  both  members  of  the 
Church  of  Rome. 

When  Manning  and  Newman  come  into  contact  as 
members  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  their  respective 
positions  are  changed.  As  Anglicans,  Newman  had 
been  the  leader,  and  Manning  the  follower,  whom 
Newman  could  afford  to  treat  with  rudeness  if  he 
offended  him.  But  this  relation  is  now  reversed.  By 
a  combination  of  energy  and  diplomatic  skill,  and  by 
the  employment  of  an  extreme  adulation  of  Pius  IX., 
Manning  raised  himself  to  be  at  first  the  real,  then — 
on  Wiseman's  death — the  real  and  formal  head,  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  body  in  England.  He  looked  upon 
the  '  old '  Roman  Catholic  Bishops  with  a  contempt 
which  he  hardly  veiled.  Newman  was  the  only  man 
who  might  be  his  rival,  and  either  dwarf  him  in  the 
public  estimation  or  lead  a  party  opposed  to  him. 
Against  Newman,  therefore,  he  was  always  on  his 
guard,  and  throughout  the  life  of  Pius  IX.  he  kept  him 
in  the  background  by  whispering  into  the  Papal  ear, 
through  Monsignor  Talbot's  lips,  insinuations  that 
Newman  was  not  Papal  enough  to  be  trusted,  being, 
as  Ward  put  it,  (i)  disloyal  to  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  and 
(2)  worldly. 

The  first  sensible  clash  between  the  two  men  was 
on  the  subject  of  the  education  of  Roman  Catholics  at 
the  English  Universities.  In  1864  Newman  bought 
a  piece  of  ground  in  Oxford  for  building  a  hall  over 
which  he  might  himself  preside.  Bishop  Ullathorne 
approved,  but  by  Manning's  influence,  exerted  through 
Wiseman  on  the  Roman  Propaganda,  the  scheme  was 
forbidden.  Two  years  later  Bishop  Ullathorne  re- 
vived the  question  by  a  petition  to  the  Propaganda. 
Leave  was  given  for  the  establishment  of  a  hall, 
but  Newman's  headship  of  it  was  prohibited,  and 
later  on  the  permission  was  altogether  withdrawn 
for  fear  of  that  contingency.  The  whole  affair  was 


208  MANNING  AND  NEWMAN        [1867-90 

a  duel  between  Newman  and  Manning,  and  Manning 
won. 

The  wounds  received  in  the  contest  did  not  heal. 
In  July,  1867,  Newman  wrote  to  Oakeley  that  the 
cause  of  the  distance  between  himself  and  the  Arch- 
bishop was  his  want  of  confidence  in  him,  '  especially 
in  matters  concerning  myself.'  A  fortnight  later  he 
wrote  to  Manning  himself,  acknowledging  '  a  distress- 
ing mistrust  which  now  for  some  years  past  I  have 
been  unable  in  prudence  to  dismiss  from  my  mind,' 
adding,  '  your  words,  your  bearing,  and  your  implica- 
tions .  .  .  have  not  served  to  prepare  me  for  your 
acts.'  Manning  at  once  wrote  back  that  his  feeling 
towards  Newman  was  just  what  Newman's  was 
towards  him :  '  I  have  felt  you  hard  to  understand, 
and  that  your  words  have  not  prepared  me  for  your 
acts.'  This  mutual  distrust  *  was  never  cured,'  says 
Manning's  biographer.  '  No  attempt  was  ever  here- 
after made  on  either  side  to  restore  lost  confidence. 
They  never  wrote  or  spoke  again  in  terms  of  intimacy ' 
(p.  306).  Manning  still  kept  up  '  professions  of  friend- 
ship for  Newman,  whilst  accusing  Newman  in  private 
of  being  an  unsound  or  disloyal  Catholic  '  (p.  311).  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Manning's  '  in  private ' 
meant  '  in  the  ear  of  the  Pope,'  through  the  channel 
of  Monsignor  Talbot,  and  in  his  conversations  with 
Roman  Catholics  in  London.  The  squabble  (it  cannot 
be  dignified  by  a  higher  title)  spread  from  the  two 
parties  chiefly  interested  to  their  followers,  between 
whom  bitter  animosities  sprang  up  and  were  cherished, 
under  cover  to  the  outside  world  of  perfect  unity 
of  feeling  and  peace.  And  the  pettiness  of  it  all  ! 
Father  Coffin  took  Cardinal  Reisach  to  see  the 
site  which  Newman  had  destined  for  his  hall  at 
Oxford,  and  Newman  petulantly  burst  out  in  a  letter 
to  Monsignor  Patterson  with  complaints  of  '  the  in- 
comprehensible neglect 'thus  shown  to  him.  Talbot 


i8Si-9o]        MANNING  AND  NEWMAN  209 

is  sure  that  Newman  is  organizing  the  laity  to  govern 
the  Church.  c  What  is  the  province  of  the  laity  ?'  says 
the  Pope's  Chamberlain,  writing  to  Manning.  '  To 
hunt,  to  shoot,  to  entertain?  These  matters  they 
understand,  but  to  meddle  with  ecclesiastical  matters 
they  have  no  right  at  all.  .  .  .  Dr.  Newman  is  the 
most  dangerous  man  in  England,  and  you  will  see 
that  he  will  make  use  of  the  laity  against  your  Grace. 
You  must  not  be  afraid  of  him.'  This,  and  a  great 
deal  more  about  '  the  detestable  spirit  growing  up  in 
England,'  which  had  been  repressed  by  Wiseman, 
*  who  knew  how  to  keep  the  laity  in  order'  (p.  318). 
Poor  laymen  !  To  hunt,  to  shoot,  to  entertain,  is  all 
that  they  are  fit  for,  and  they  must  leave  the  rest  to 
their  priests ! 

Manning  himself,  as  an  ecclesiastical  statesman, 
rose  above  the  bitterness  of  his  followers,  or,  at  any 
rate,  above  expressing  it.  He  saw  that  '  a  conflict 
between  him  [Newman]  and  me  would  be  as  great  a 
scandal  to  the  Church  in  England  and  as  great  a 
victory  to  the  Anglicans  as  could  be.1  So  he  held  his 
hand,  though  Monsignor  Talbot  continued  urging  him 
to  *  stand  firm '  against  the  l  old  school  of  Catholics,' 
who  would  '  rally  round  Newman  in  opposition  to 
you  and  Rome.'  Newman's  '  spirit  must  be  crushed,' 
according  to  the  Pope's  Chamberlain.  What  he  had 
written  was  '  detestable,' '  un-Catholic,'  '  un-Christian.' 
So  great  was  the  harmony  of  soul  among  the  Roman 
Catholics  in  England,  that  Manning  looked  upon  the 
Irish  as  his  allies  in  keeping  down  the  English. 
'  Every  Englishman,'  says  Talbot,  '  is  naturally  anti- 
Roman,'  and  '  Dr.  Newman  is  more  English  than  the 
English.'  *  The  thing  that  will  save  us,'  replies  Man- 
ning, '  from  low  views  about  the  Mother  of  God  and 
the  Vicar  of  the  Lord  is  the  million  Irish  in  England 
and  the  sympathy  of  the  Catholics  in  Ireland  '  (p.  325). 
So  the  English  '  laymen '  are  not  only  to  be  kept  down 


210  MANNING  AND  NEWMAN        [1851-90 

by  their  prelates,  but  by  a  phalanx  of  Irishmen — not  a 
happy  prospect  for  men  with  any  sense  of  an  English- 
man's liberty  and  self-respect. 

Newman  felt,  if  he  did  not  know,  that  Manning  was 
intriguing  against  him,  and  he  could  not  forgive  him. 
4  The  world  accuses  him  [Manning]  without  provo- 
cation of  thwarting  me,  and  the  primd  facie  proof  of 
this  is  that  his  entourage  acts  with  violence  against 
me.'  At  the  end  of  a  long  correspondence,  suave  on 
Manning's  side,  tart  on  Newman's,  Newman  writes  : 
*  I  do  not  know  whether  I  am  on  my  head  or  my  heels 
when  I  have  active  relations  with  you,'  words  'which 
made  a  reply  hardly  fitting  on  my  part ' — wrote  Man- 
ning. Manning  accounts  for  the  '  divergence  '  between 
them  by  the  *  well-known  morbid  sensitiveness '  of 
Newman,  which  made  'his  relations  with  Faber,  the 
late  Cardinal  [Wiseman],  Father  Coffin,  and  the 
London  Oratory,  undergo  the  same  change  as  his  re- 
lations to  me.'  So  far  from  having  hindered  Newman's 
being  prominent  in  the  Church,  he  had,  he  professed, 
endeavoured  to  effect  it  by  putting  his  name  forward 
at  Rome  for  a  bishopric  in  1859,  an  endeavour  which 
was  defeated  by  the  Bishop  of  Newport  denouncing 
Newman  at  the  moment  before  the  Propaganda  for 
heresy.  Newman's  unforgiving  mistrust  is  best 
accounted  for  on  the  hypothesis  that  he  supposed 
Manning  not  to  have  dealt  fairly  by  him  when  he  pro- 
fessed to  recommend  him,  and  perhaps  having  brought 
about  the  denunciation  for  heresy  to  counteract  his 
pretended  purpose.  Afterwards  he  refused  to  come 
to  Manning's  consecration  unless  '  he  might  take  it  as 
a  pledge  on  my  part  that  I  would  not  again  endeavour 
to  have  him  consecrated  as  a  Bishop ' — a  petulant 
reference  to  an  old  grievance.  Newman's  'morbid 
sensitiveness '  may  have  been  a  factor  in  this  unseemly 
squabble,  but  a  larger  factor  was  Manning's  resolution 
that  a  man  who  might  lead  a  party  in  opposition  to 


i8Si-9o]        MANNING  AND  NEWMAN  211 

himself  and  in  hostility  to  the  extremest  claim  of  the 
Papacy  should  never  have  the  opportunity  of  doing  so 
as  long  as  he  could  prevent  it. 

But  when  Pius  IX.  died  he  could  prevent  it  no 
longer.  The  Duke  of  Norfolk  and  the  Marquis  of 
Ripon  insisted  on  Newman's  being  recommended  to 
Leo  XIII.  as  a  Cardinal,  and  after  a  few  moments' 
silence,  with  bent  head,  Manning  undertook  to  convey 
their  choice  to  the  Cardinal  Secretary  at  Rome.  When 
Newman  heard  of  the  Pope's  intention,  he  was  over- 
whelmed by  his  'condescending  goodness.'  But  his 
letter  of  acceptance  to  the  Cardinal  Secretary  was 
misunderstood  by  Manning,  who  took  it  as  a  refusal, 
and  announced  in  the  Times  that  the  offer  was  refused, 
at  a  time  when  the  offer  itself  was  as  yet  an  ecclesi- 
astical secret.  Newman  was  alarmed  and  indignant. 
'As  soon,'  he  writes  to  Manning,  'as  the  Holy  Father 
condescends  to  make  it  known  to  me  that  he  means  to 
confer  on  me  the  high  dignity  of  Cardinal,  I  shall  write 
to  Rome  to  signify  my  obedience  and  glad  acceptance 
of  the  honour  without  delay.'  Manning  '  repaired  his 
error'  by  informing  the  Pope  of  the  mistake  he  had 
made,  and  the  nomination  was  confirmed.  Newman 
declared  himself '  overcome  by  the  Pope's  goodness,' 
and  said  to  his  brothers  of  the  Oratory,  '  The  cloud  is 
lifted  from  me  for  ever.'  During  the  remainder  of 
their  lives  the  two  Cardinals  met  but  twice — once  in 
1883,  when  Newman  paid  a  formal  visit  to  Manning  in 
London;  and  once  in  1884,  when  Manning  returned 
the  visit  at  Birmingham.  In  1890  Newman  died. 
The  fear  of  being  dwarfed  by  his  superiority  having 
passed  away,  Manning  made  a  fervent  address  'in 
which  he  drew  a  most  touching  and  pathetic  picture 
of  his  relations  with  John  Henry  Newman,  which  he 
described  as  a  friendship  of  sixty  years  and  more.' 
'  Cardinal  Manning,'  writes  his  biographer,  '  perhaps 
not  unnaturally  forgot  his  prolonged  opposition  to 

14—2 


212  MANNING  AND  NEWMAN        [1851-90 

Newman  in  Rome  and  in  England ;  forgot  his  avowed 
hostility  and  mistrust ;  forgot  that  for  half  a  century 
—from  1840  to  1890 — he  had  not  met  or  spoken  to 
Newman  more  than  half  a  dozen  times.  It  seems 
almost  a  pity  to  disturb  the  illusion  indulged  in  by 
Cardinal  Manning,  and  left  as  a  legacy  to  future 
generations,  that  he  and  Newman  were  knit  together 
in  the  bands  of  the  closest  friendship  for  sixty  years 
and  more.  .  .  .  Manning's  mind  and  memory  were 
taken  possession  of  by  an  overmastering  idea,  so  that 
in  his  illusion  he  saw  only  the  what  might  have  been, 
and  not  the  things  that  were.  .  .  .  What,  then,  is  the 
truth  ?  Not  more  than  three  or  four  years  before  the 
illusive  and  fancy  picture  of  1890,  Cardinal  Manning 
avowed  and  put  on  record  his  condemnation  of  New- 
man in  terms  so  clear  and  incisive  as  to  leave  no  room 
or  foothold  for  an  after -fiction  of  friendship.  .  .  . 
Instead  of  friendship,  there  was  a  life-long  opposition  ' 

(P-  754). 

It  is  a  miserable  picture — a  petty  personal  squabble 
between  the  two  leading  English  Roman  Catholic 
ecclesiastics  lasting  for  forty  years.  Who  could  have 
believed  that  the  Newman  and  the  Manning  that  we 
knew  in  the  Anglican  Church  could  have  been  kept  in 
permanent  hostility  to  each  other  by  jealousy,  spite- 
fulness,  and  unforgiving  tempers,  which  continued  to 
operate  until  death  closed  the  career  of  one  of  them  ? 
Had  they  both  remained  in  the  Anglican  Church,  and 
had  Manning  become  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  can 
we  imagine  his  whispering,  intriguing,  plotting  to  keep 
Newman  shut  up  at  Littlemore,  lest  he  should  rival 
him  in  influence  ?  And  had  he  done  so,  can  we 
imagine  Newman  irritated  beyond  endurance  by  such 
treatment,  and  refusing  all  advances  towards  friend- 
ship or  social  intercourse  with  him  ?  There  is 
something  more  wholesome  in  the  wider,  larger, 
fresher  atmosphere  of  the  Church  of  England  than 


IBS?]  THACKERAY  213 

in  the  confined  air  of  the  Roman  Catholic  body  in 
England. 

In  the  year  of  my  proctorship  at  Oxford  (1857)  I 
resided  for  the  greater  part  of  the  vacations,  and  con- 
sequently I  was  in  residence  when  Thackeray  offered 
himself  as  a  candidate  for  the  city  of  Oxford.  As  he 
was  dining  with  me  after  his  first  day's  canvassing,  I 
said  to  him : 

1  You  must  be  in  a  different  position  from  most  men 
who  canvass  a  strange  constituency,  as  you  must  be 
known  by  fame  to  most  of  those  whom  you  visit.' 

'  Now,'  he  said,  laying  down  his  knife  and  fork  and 
holding  up  a  finger,  'there  was  one  man  among  all 
that  I  went  to  see  who  had  heard  my  name  before  ; 
and  he  was  a  circulating  librarian.  Such  is  mortal 
fame  !' 

He  was  not  elected;  and  it  is  probable  that  he 
would  have  been  a  failure  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
like  Mill  and  other  literary  men.  He  was  not  able  to 
make  an  effective  speech.  At  the  end  of  one  of  his 
addresses  at  Oxford  he  told  the  meeting  that  they 
might  moralize  over  the  fact  that  a  man  who  with  a 
pen  between  his  fingers  could  go  on  writing  without 
a  pause,  could  yet  speak  in  public  no  better  than  he 
had  just  done.  The  speaking  was  chiefly  done  for 
him  by  Charles  Neate,  Fellow  of  Oriel.  On  the 
Sunday  I  was  going  by  the  morning  train  to  London 
to  preach  at  Whitehall  Chapel,  and  Thackeray  and 
Neate  travelled  up  by  the  same  train.  After  some 
conversation,  in  which  Thackeray  expressed  his  sense 
of  the  loss  suffered  by  those  who  were  married  in 
registrars'  offices,  from  not  receiving  the  Church's 
blessing  on  their  marriage,  I  took  my  sermon  out  of 
my  pocket  and  began  to  read  it.  Thackeray  leant 
forward.  '  I  never  before  saw  a  naked  sermon.  May 
I  take  it  in  my  hand  ?'  He  glanced  over  a  page  or 
two,  and  handed  it  back,  saying,  with  a  smile,  that  he 


2i4  OXFORD  [1847 

had  had  a  new  experience  and  got  a  new  idea.  I  met 
Thackeray  again  at  Ghent,  as  I  was  returning  from 
Holland,  and  we  walked  up  and  down  together  during 
the  half-hour  that  luggage  was  being  registered  and 
paid  for.  I  found  that  he  was  quite  aware  of  the 
existence  of  the  Jansenist  Church  of  Holland,  and  said 
what  good  Anglicans  Pascal  and  the  Port  Royalists 
would  have  made  if  they  had  been  born  in  England. 
He  was  shocked  at  the  deification  of  St.  Mary  that 
he  had  witnessed.  He  asked  me  if  I  was  going  by 
Ostend.  I  replied,  No ;  I  disliked  the  Ostend  passage 
when  the  sea  was  rough,  and  was  going  by  Calais. 
Each  time  after  that,  when  we  emerged  from  the 
station  to  the  open  platform  in  our  walk,  he  looked 
up  to  the  sky.  l  Do  you  think  there  will  be  a  wind  ? 
Perhaps  I  had  better  go  by  Calais,  too.'  I  told  him 
that,  at  least,  at  present  the  weather  seemed  propitious. 
1  Yes/  he  said,  *  I  will  try  Ostend.  That  sky ' — pointing 
upward — '  is  indeed  charming ;  and  were  it  not  that 
one's  work  lies  in  London,  and  where  one's  work  is 
one's  happiness  is,  we  should  be  loth  to  leave  it  for 
England's  fogs.'  No  wind  sprang  up,  and  we  each 
reached  home  over  a  calm  sea. 

I  saw  no  trace  of  cynicism  in  Thackeray.  His  con- 
versation was  easy  and  natural ;  he  did  not  pose  as  a 
literary  lion ;  he  did  not  seem  politically  ambitious, 
nor,  in  consequence,  much  disappointed  when  not 
returned  to  Parliament  for  the  city  of  Oxford. 

During  the  year  of  my  proctorship  I  made  one  of  a 
deputation  which  went  from  the  University  of  Oxford 
to  congratulate  the  Queen  on  the  marriage  of  the 
Princess  Royal  to  the  future  German  Emperor.  The 
deputation  consisted  of  the  Vice-Chancellor,  the  two 
Proctors,  and  nine  Doctors  of  Divinity  or  Masters  of 
Arts.  We  were  met  at  Buckingham  Palace  by  the 
Earl  of  Derby,  who  wore  his  robes  as  Chancellor  of 
the  University,  and  a  number  of  Masters  of  Arts  fell 


i847]        DEPUTATION  TO  THE  QUEEN         215 

in  behind  the  deputation,  according  to  a  privilege 
enjoyed  by  members  of  the  Universities.  So  great 
was  the  pressure  made  by  these  Masters  of  Arts  when 
the  doors  of  the  audience  chamber  were  opened  that 
we  reached  the  royal  presence  almost,  but  not  quite, 
at  a  run.  The  Queen  was  sitting  on  a  low  throne, 
with  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  standing  on  one  side 
of  her,  and  another  tall  lady  on  the  other,  who  seemed 
almost  to  overshadow  the  Queen,  placed  as  she  was 
below  them.  Lord  Derby  read  our  address  to  the 
Queen,  and  she  received  it  from  his  hands,  after  which 
the  Vice-Chancellor  and  the  senior  Proctor  kissed 
hands,  and  the  Chancellor  read  the  names  of  each  of 
the  other  members  of  the  deputation,  who  bowed  to 
her  and  received  a  gracious  salutation  in  return.  We 
found  it  rather  a  difficult  matter  to  back  out  from  the 
royal  presence,  as  the  Chancellor's  robes  and  our 
University  gowns  did  not  readily  lend  themselves  to 
the  process.  Luncheon  was  provided  for  us  at  the 
palace,  and  we  returned  to  Oxford  the  same  day. 
Forty  years  afterwards  I  met  at  Blickling  the  gracious 
lady  for  whose  welfare  England  was  then  praying — 
the  Empress  Frederick,  mother  of  the  present  German 
Emperor.  She  came  with  her  brother,  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  to  see  Blickling  Hall,  and  still  had  much  of  her 
youthful  energy. 


CHAPTER  XII 

School  inspectorship — Rev.  R.  Aitken — Bishop  Harold  Browne. 

IN  1859  I  married  Marion  S.  Danvers  and  gave  up 
residence  in  Oxford,  accepting  an  inspectorship  of 
schools  offered  me  by  Lord  Salisbury  (the  father  of 
the  late  Prime  Minister),  who  was  President  of  the 
Council.  My  first  district  was  Cornwall,  with  part  of 
Devonshire.  I  went  first  into  Cornwall,  and  though 
I  previously  knew  no  one  in  the  county,  for  the  six 
months  that  preceded  my  marriage,  I  went  only  twice 
to  an  hotel ;  on  all  other  occasions  I  was  received  hos- 
pitably, mainly  by  the  clergy.  The  house  to  which  I 
went  most  frequently  was  Porthgwidden,  the  residence 
of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Phillpotts,  nephew  of  Bishop  Phill- 
potts,  whom  I  helped  in  his  Sunday  services.  No  one 
is  better  qualified  to  judge  of  the  work  done  by  the 
clergy  than  an  Inspector  of  Schools.  The  Bishop  is  an 
'  episcopus,'  or  '  over-looker  ';  the  Inspector  is  an  '  in- 
looker.'  During  the  next  ten  years  I  visited  about 
3,000  parsonages  and  schools  (often,  of  course,  the 
same  year  after  year),  and  was  admitted  to  the  con- 
fidence of  the  clergy.  Almost  everywhere  the  state  of 
the  school  was  an  indication  of  the  parson's  zeal,  and 
he,  generally  speaking,  was  the  only  person  inter- 
ested enough  to  give  time  and  money  for  the  education 
of  the  labourers'  children.  Judging  by  the  specimens 
that  I  saw — perhaps  favourable  specimens,  because  I 
only  went  to  parishes  in  which  there  were  schools  to 

216 


18593  SCHOOL  INSPECTORSHIP  217 

be  inspected — I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  English 
clergy  were  a  body  that  any  Church  might  be  proud 
of.  There  was  no  theatrical  posing,  no  merit-earning 
by  strange  asceticisms  according  to  the  Romanist  ideal 
of  saintship,  no  emotionalism  of  the  Wesleyan,  but  a 
quiet,  sturdy  English  way  of  doing  their  duty  to  their 
Master  and  to  the  flock  with  which  He  had  entrusted 
them,  not  looking  for  anything  in  return — promotion, 
success,  wealth  ;  content  to  bear  hardness  without 
thinking  that  it  was  hardness,  or  that  it  was  anything  but 
part  of  the  day's  work ;  and  concealing  a  very  real  love 
for  their  Lord  under  a  reserve  of  speech  which  refused 
to  exhibit  deep  feelings  to  the  public  gaze.  '  Clerus 
Anglicus  stupor  mundi '  is,  and  always  was,  an  extra- 
vagance, but  certainly  the  English  clergy  may  compare 
favourably  with  any  national  priesthood.  One  reason 
of  this  is  the  class  from  which  they  are  drawn — namely, 
the  gentry ;  while  the  priesthood  on  the  Continent  is 
recruited  almost  wholly  from  the  peasant  class ;  a  con- 
sequence of  which  is  that  the  latter  are  unable  to  affect 
the  mind  of  the  gentry,  who  perhaps  for  that  reason 
have  for  the  most  part  in  France  and  Italy,  and  to  a 
great  extent  in  Germany  and  Spain,  given  up  their 
hold  on  Christianity,  while  the  English  squire  is  con- 
tent to  be  taught  by  his  uncle  or  brother.  There  are 
eccentricities  in  every  class,  but  I  never  found  any  in 
the  clergy  with  whom  I  was  brought  into  contact  that 
were  calculated  to  cause  more  than  a  good-humoured 
smile.  These  of  course  I  found.  For  example,  I  rode 
to  a  school  within  riding  distance  from  Truro  with  my 
wife.  On  arriving,  the  incumbent  formally  asked  the 
reason  of  my  coming. 

'To  inspect  the  school,'  I  said. 
'  No,  sir;  the  school  is  not  to  be  inspected.' 
'  It  makes  no  difference  to  me,'  I  replied  ;  '  but  as  a 
building  grant  was  made  for  the  schoolroom,  it  is  open 
for  inspection.' 


2iS  CORNWALL  [1859 

I  No,  sir,  no,'  he  repeated  ;  '  but  it  is  beginning  to 
rain  :  I  hope  the  lady  and  you  will  come  in.' 

We  dismounted,  and  for  two  hours,  during  which 
the  rain  lasted,  we  talked  of  everything  except  schools. 
Then  came  luncheon,  after  which  my  host  walked  up 
to  me,  and,  with  a  bow,  said : 

I 1  shall  be  obliged,  sir,  if  you  will  inspect  the  school 
buildings.' 

Fortunately,  I  was  able  to  say  that  the  buildings 
were  good,  and  then,  with  another  bow,  he  said : 

'  Now,  sir,  I  shall  be  further  obliged  if  you  will 
examine  the  children.' 

The  reason  of  my  host's  singular  conduct  was,  I 
learnt,  that  a  previous  Inspector  on  his  arrival  at  the 
door  had  called  out  to  a  person  working  in  the  garden, 
'  My  man,  is  your  master  at  home  ?'  when  the  '  man ' 
was  really  the  'master,'  and  had  added  injury  to  insult 
by  reporting  badly  of  the  school. 

The  Cornish  children  were  very  intelligent,  being 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Cornish  miners.  The 
best  schools  were  equal  to  any  of  the  best  schools  of 
the  present  day,  though  this  was  before  Mr.  Lowe's 
new  code,  which  has  since  been  revised,  re-revised, 
and  superseded.  I  wrote  the  article  in  the  Quarterly 
Review  against  many  of  the  provisions  of  that  code  in 
January,  1860. 

The  most  striking  personage  that  I  saw  in  Cornwall 
was  Mr.  Aitken,  the  father  of  Mr.  Hay  Aitken,  Canon 
of  Norwich.  I  spent  a  few  days  with  him  at  Pendeen, 
of  which  he  was  incumbent,  while  I  inspected  some 
schools  in  the  neighbourhood.  We  were  caught  in 
a  storm  as  he  drove  me  to  one  of  the  schools,  and 
while  I  was  conducting  the  inspection  he  went  to  a 
cottage  to  dry  his  coat.  While  this  was  being  done, 
he  converted  the  woman  of  the  house,  reducing  her 
first  to  tears  and  then  to  exultation.  His  method  with 
women  was  generally  to  look  them  straight  in  the 


i859]  ROBERT  AITKEN  219 

eyes  (he  was  a  man  of  considerable  presence),  and 
demand  of  them  sternly :  '  Do  you  know  God  ?'  '  I 
hope  so,'  was  usually  the  timid  answer.  'Hope!' 
exclaimed  Aitken ;  '  have  you  only  hope  ?  You  had 
better  know  for  certain  that  you  do  not.  What  you 
must  have  is  not  hope,  but  assurance.'  In  most  cases 
women  yielded  and  became  his  disciples — at  least,  for 
a  time.  Aitken  was  a  common  referee  for  clergy  and 
laymen  who  were  in  distress  of  mind.  They  knew 
that  they  would  be  welcomed,  and  came  in  numbers 
to  his  house.  His  method  with  them  was  different. 
He  put  them,  I  was  told,  often  several  at  a  time, 
each  in  a  separate  room,  and  desired  them  to  continue 
repeating,  *  I  know  that  I  have  been  saved — I  know 
that  I  have  been  saved,'  again  and  again,  and  not  to 
come  out  of  the  room  until  they  were  assured  that 
they  were  saved,  which  occurred  after  the  exercise 
had  gone  on  long  enough.  Aitken's  lieutenant  in 
Cornwall  was  Rev.  W.  Haslam,  and  Aitken  recounted 
to  me  the  circumstance  of  his  conversion.  '  We  were 
sitting,'  he  said,  'he  and  I,  at  this  table,  and  the  fly 
was  about  to  come  to  take  away  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haslam 
after  their  visit,  when  Mrs.  Aitken  and  Mrs.  Haslam 
entered  the  room,  and  Mrs.  Aitken  walked  up  to  me 
and  said  :  "  Mr.  Aitken,  if  Mr.  Haslam  goes  away  from 
this  house  an  unconverted  man,  the  blood  of  his  soul 
will  be  on  your  head  for  not  having  dealt  faithfully 
with  him."  "  Oh,  you  are  right,"  cried  Haslam  ;  "  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner!'"  And  so  he  returned, 
after  more  prayer,  to  his  home.  On  the  following 
Sunday  I  was  told  that  a  Wesleyan  exclaimed  aloud, 
as  Haslam  was  preaching,  '  Hallelujah !  the  parson's 
converted.'  After  some  years  of  diligent  preaching 
of  the  dogma  of  sudden  conversion,  Haslam  went  to 
Mr.  Hockin  of  Phillack,  and  said  that  he  had  been 
doing  work,  but  not  the  Church's  work.  Mr.  Hockin 
gave  him  a  part  of  his  parish  in  which  to  work  on 


220  CORNWALL  [1859 

Church  lines,  which  he  did  for  a  time,  and  then  he 
returned  to  his  old  views.  After  some  years  I  met 
Mr.  Haslam  in  Norfolk,  and  on  my  asking  him  if  he 
had  there  a  large  sphere  of  work,  he  replied,  with 
a  smile :  '  I  have  a  small  parish,  but  there  is  upon  me 
the  care  of  all  the  churches.'  He  died  in  1905. 

Mr.  Aitken  gave  me  an  account  of  an  interview  that 
he  had  with  Bishop  Samuel  Wilberforce  and  others 
at  Cuddesdon.  '  I  began  by  explaining  the  way  in 
which  God  deals  with  souls  when  He  draws  them  to 
Himself.  After  I  had  proceeded  some  way,  Bishop 
Wilberforce  interrupted  me  :  "  I  agree  with  very  much 
that  you  say,  Mr.  Aitken.  I  do  not  doubt  that  God 
does  of  His  gracious  mercy  call  back  many  from  a 
sinful  life  in  the  way  that  you  describe.  Your  error, 
I  think,  is  in  holding  that  this  is  His  universal  method  ; 
on  the  contrary,  I  regard  it  as  the  method  which  He 
occasionally  and  exceptionally  uses.'"  'That  is  the 
way,  and  none  other,  in  which  He  deals  with  souls,' 
said  Aitken.  '  Then,  continued  the  Bishop,  '  I  have 
another  strong  objection  to  your  system ;  it  makes 
men  so  self-satisfied  and  uncharitable  towards  others 
whom  they  choose  to  set  dowrn  as  unconverted.' 
1  Yes,'  said  Bishop  Selwyn,  who  was  one  of  those 
present,  '  I  had  an  example  of  such  self-assurance  as 
I  was  leaving  my  diocese  [he  was  then  Bishop  of  New 
Zealand]  for  England.  Just  as  I  was  stepping  into 
the  boat,  a  man  came  to  me  and  asked  to  say  some- 
thing to  me.  I  turned  aside  with  him,  but  I  found 
that  he  had  nothing  to  say  except,  "  Bishop,  do 
you  know  God  ?" '  '  And,  my  lord,  what  answer  did 
you  give  to  that  man  ?'  '  I  thought  him  not  inquiring 
in  a  right  spirit,  and  I  passed  by  his  question  with 
a  general  expression  of  faith  and  hope.'  'Well,  my 
lord,'  said  Aitken,  'you  have  the  character  of  a  great 
missionary  Bishop  to  the  heathen ;  but  I  tell  you  that 
I  would  rather  that  my  soul  were  as  one  of  those 


18593  ROBERT  AITKEN  221 

heathen  than  as  you  showed  yours  to  be  by  giving 
him  that  answer.'  'Well,'  said  the  Bishop,  smiling, 
'you  speak  plainly,  at  any  rate.'  Archdeacon  Clerke 
then  took  up  the  discussion,  and,  in  his  slow  and  grave 
voice,  said :  '  I  think  I  understand  you,  Mr.  Aitken ; 
you  say  that  we  require  to  be  assured  of  the  time 
when  we  became  God's  forgiven  children.'  '  Yes,  yes ; 
that  is  it.'  '  I  have  a  perfect  assurance  on  that  point,' 
continued  the  Archdeacon.  '  Indeed,  indeed  !  pray  give 
us  your  experiences.'  '  My  father  was  a  thoroughly 
truthful  man,  and  he  assured  me  that  on  a  certain  day 
I  was  baptized.'  '  Very  dark — very  dark,'  said  Aitken, 
recounting  the  interview  to  me.  *  There  was  not  one 
of  those  present  who  was  a  converted  man  except 
dear  Bishop  Wilberforce,  and  he  was  much  misled.' 

At  Launceston  I  made  acquaintance  with  three  Miss 
Meyricks,  who  had  purchased  a  house,  which  they  had 
named  Bod  Meyrick.  They  were  all  three  elderly 
ladies.  I  sat  next  the  youngest  of  them,  Miss  Harriet 
Meyrick,  at  luncheon  after  the  examination  of  the 
school.  As  soon  as  an  opportunity  occurred,  she 
turned  to  me  and  anxiously  asked  what  my  arms  were. 
I  replied  :  '  Three  burning  brands.' 

'  And  your  motto  ?' 

I  replied  that  I  was  so  degenerate  a  Welshman  that 
I  might  not  pronounce  it  properly  in  Welsh,  but  that 
its  English  meaning  was  *  Have  God,  have  everything: 
God  and  enough.' 

'  And  have  you  got  the  Cornish  chough  on  your 
crest  ?' 

'Yes,'  I  replied,  'on  the  top  of  a  castle.' 

I  told  her  that  I  had  a  seal  with  the  arms  in  my 
portmanteau. 

4  Would  you  bring  it  to  me,'  she  said,  '  to-morrow  ? 
for  I  find  that  we  are  cousins.' 

The  next  morning  I  found  her  so  much  delighted 
with  the  seal  that  I  gave  it  to  her,  after  having  had 


222  CORNWALL  [1859 

another  engraved  for  myself.  In  acknowledgment  of 
my  cousinhood  she  showed  me  some  of  the  family 
records  which  she  had  by  her. 

1  Do  you  know  the  story/  she  said,  *  of  my  grand- 
father and  his  marriage  with  Lady  Lucy  Pitt  ?' 

She  told  it  to  me  as  follows :  Meyrick  and  another, 
being  among  the  head-boys  of  Westminster  School, 
contrived  to  scrape  acquaintance  with  two  girls  in  the 
neighbourhood  who  were  treated  at  home  with  severity. 
After  a  time  it  occurred  to  them  that  it  would  be  a 
happy  adventure  to  be  married.  The  preliminaries  of 
marriage  were  not  at  that  time  so  difficult  to  get  over 
as  at  present,  and  on  an  appointed  day  the  two  boys 
and  girls  met  at  a  church  in  the  Fleet ;  but  up  to  this 
time  they  had  not  quite  determined  which  boy  should 
marry  which  girl.  Both  the  boys  preferred  Lady 
Lucy  Pitt,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Lord  Londonderry, 
and  there  was  almost  a  fight  in  the  porch  on  the  sub- 
ject. Meyrick  being  the  stronger  of  the  two,  the 
other  boy  yielded,  and  satisfied  himself  with  the 
cousin  of  Lady  Lucy.  Meyrick  was  married  to  Lady 
Lucy  Pitt,  and  they  went  across  the  Channel  to 
France,  whence  Meyrick  wrote  to  his  father  a  letter 
then  in  Miss  Harriet  Meyrick's  possession,  asking  his 
pardon,  and  saying  that  until  he  heard  he  was  forgiven 
they  would  stay  abroad.  A  painting  of  the  two  run- 
aways exists,  I  believe,  at  Boconnoc  in  Cornwall,  with 
other  Pitt  portraits,  though  I  do  not  recollect  seeing 
it.  Miss  Harriet  Meyrick  claimed  me  as  her  cousin  as 
long  as  she  lived. 

At  the  end  of  about  a  year  I  passed  from  Cornwall 
and  Devonshire  to  the  East  of  England,  having  as  a 
district,  first,  Essex,  Suffolk,  and  Norfolk,  conjointly 
with  Mr.  Mitchell,  afterwards  Norfolk  and  part  of 
Suffolk  by  myself.  The  first  six  months  I  spent  in 
Cambridge  in  the  house  of  Professor  Harold  Browne, 
non-resident  at  the  time,  to  whom  I  had  brought  an 


i859-9i]      BISHOP  HAROLD  BROWNE  223 

introduction  from  Mr.  T.  Phillpotts.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  a  friendship  greatly  valued  by  me,  which 
lasted  as  long  as  Bishop  Harold  Browne  lived.  At  this 
time  he  was  Norrisian  Professor  at  Cambridge.  In 
1864  he  was  appointed  Bishop  of  Ely,  and  in  1874  he 
passed  from  that  diocese  to  the  larger  sphere  of  Win- 
chester, where  he  succeeded  Bishop  Wilberforce.  In 
1868  he  had  been  nominated  by  Disraeli  as  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  but  the  Queen  was  resolved  on  the 
appointment  of  Tait,  and  the  Prime  Minister  gave 
way.  On  Tait's  death,  in  1882,  expectation  again 
pointed  him  out  for  the  primacy,  but  now  he  was  too 
old.  The  Queen  and  Mr.  Gladstone  both  wrote  to 
him,  declaring  his  age  to  be  the  one  impediment  to  his 
succeeding  to  the  great  See  of  Canterbury.  In  1890 
he  found  it  necessary  to  resign  his  bishopric,  and  in 
December,  1891,  he  passed  away.  Harold  Browne 
cannot  be  regarded  as  the  ablest  among  his  contem- 
porary Bishops — Bishop  Wilberforce  was  that — nor 
perhaps  the  most  learned — Bishop  Christopher  Words- 
worth may  have  been  that.  But  he  was  a  singularly 
wise  man,  his  mind  being  so  well  balanced  that  he 
leaned  too  far  in  no  direction,  but  gave  each  principle 
and  each  fact  its  due  weight,  without  allowing  it  to 
exclude  from  view  other  principles  and  other  facts  as 
true  as  itself.  He  was  also  widely  and  deeply  loved, 
because  he  had  himself  an  unfailing  fount  of  sympathy 
and  affection  ever  springing  up  within  him,  which 
called  out  a  response  from  all  about  him  and  from  any 
that  had  communication  with  him.  No  truer  repre- 
sentative of  the  Church  of  England's  best  self  could  be 
found.  He  had  in  their  perfection  her  faith  and  cling- 
ing to  the  truth,  her  moderation  in  limiting  one  truth 
by  its  equally  true  counterpart,  her  simple  piety,  her 
learning,  her  reverence  for  all  that  is  holy,  her  respect 
for  primitive  Christianity,  her  shrinking  from  the  in- 
ventions of  men  which  boasted  to  be  revelations  of 


224  CAMBRIDGE  [1859 

God,  and  from  innovations  on  the  once-delivered  truth, 
her  firm  confidence  in  the  overruling  providence  of 
God,  however  dark  might  be  His  ways ;  and  he  illus- 
trated in  himself  no  less  the  calm  and  equitable  temper 
of  the  Church  of  England  than  her  theology.  He  once 
said,  with  a  smile,  that  Oxford  was  a  hill-top  where 
streams  of  thought  rose,  which  flowed  down  with  foam 
and  clatter,  but  that,  having  reached  the  level  ground, 
they  took  their  course  through  Cambridge,  and  came 
out  calmer,  and  he  ventured  to  think  more  wholesome, 
than  when  they  entered  it.  If  that  were  true,  Harold 
Browne  was  a  Cambridge  man  in  the  whole  tone  and 
temper  of  his  mind.  His  chief  literary  work  is  his 
Exposition  of  the  Thirty-nine  Articles,  which  was  based 
on  lectures  delivered  by  him  at  Lampeter  College. 
When  one  of  our  American  Episcopal  guests  was  in- 
troduced to  the  Bishop,  he  stepped  back,  and  said,  '  So 
that  is  Harold  Browne  on  the  Articles  !  My  brother, 
I  don't  know  how  the  Church  of  Christ  got  along  at 
all  without  that  book,'  to  the  confusion  of  the  Bishop's 
modesty.  It  has  been  said  that  Hooker's  Ecclesiastical 
Polity,  Pearson  on  the  Creed,  and  Harold  Browne  on  the 
Articles,  contain  a  resume  of  the  Anglican  theology. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Reform  in  Italy  and  Spain— Baron  Ricasoli— Signer  Minghetti-— 
Cardinal  Andrea — Bishop  Cabrera. 

IN  1861  the  Anglo-Continental  Society  completed  its 
constitution  by  electing  Bishop  Harold  Browne  its 
President,  and  this  brought  me  much  in  contact  with 
him. 

The  Bishop  attended  the  committee  and  presided 
over  the  annual  meetings  of  the  society,  except  on  one 
occasion,  when  he  ceded  the  chair  to  Archbishop 
Longley.  The  state  of  Italy  was  at  this  time  such  as 
to  invite  the  attention  of  Churchmen.  Pius  IX.,  being 
supposed  to  have  betrayed  the  popular  party,  had 
become  a  byword  of  reproach  among  his  countrymen. 
In  Turin,  Passaglia,  a  short  time  before  the  champion 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  was  excommunicated 
with  900  priests.  In  Milan  a  Societa  Ecclesiastica  was 
formed,  consisting  of  four  Canons  and  eighty-nine 
clergy,  which  the  Jesuit  organ,  the  Civilta  Cattolica, 
denounced  as  '  scandalous,  schismatical,  revolutionar}^ 
guilty  of  rebellion  against  the  Pope  and  the  holy 
Roman  See'  (April,  1862).  At  Brescia  Canon  Tiboni 
preached  and  published  in  favour  of  the  restoration 
of  the  Bible  to  the  people ;  the  vulgar  tongue ;  both 
kinds;  abolition  of  compulsory  confession  and  celibacy; 
election  of  Bishops;  restraint  of  Papal  domination. 
In  Florence  Bianciardi  edited  an  influential  reforming 
newspaper,  the  Esaminatore.  In  Naples  a  Societa 

225  15 


226  ITALY  [1862 

Emancipatrice,  with  an  organ,  the  Emancipators  Cat- 
tolico,  was  instituted,  consisting  of  several  thousand 
clergy  and  laymen ;  and  there,  too,  lived  Cardinal 
Andrea,  who  seemed  pointed  out  as  the  leader  of  the 
reformation.  In  Sicily  a  similar  society  was  estab- 
lished, with  an  organ,  Luce  ed  Amore. 

To  see  what  was  the  real  spirit  of  the  nation  under- 
lying these  phenomena,  the  Anglo-Continental  Society 
sent  Dr.  Camilleri,  a  priest  formerly  officiating  in 
Italy,  and  then  curate  to  Lord  Charles  Hervey  at 
Chesterford,  to  make  a  report  of  the  state  of  the 
country  from  a  religious  point  of  view.  He  was  also 
instructed  to  '  encourage  internal  reformation  '  (a)  '  by 
a  distribution  of  the  society's  works';  (b)  'by  ex- 
plaining by  word  of  mouth  the  limits  of  the  legitimate 
jurisdiction  and  authority  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome, 
especially  with  reference  to  the  liberties  of  the 
Churches  of  North  Italy  and  Sicily ';  (c)  '  by  con- 
vincing men,  both  by  argument  and  by  the  example  of 
the  English  Church,  of  the  possibility  of  a  National 
Church  reforming  itself,  and  being  at  once  Catholic 
and  Protestant — Catholic,  as  maintaining  the  faith  and 
discipline  of  the  Holy  Catholic  Church  ;  Protestant,  in 
rejecting  Papal  usurpation  and  dogma.'  Dr.  Camilleri 
visited  Turin,  Milan,  Genoa,  Pisa,  Leghorn,  Florence, 
and  Bologna;  and  the  result  of  his  mission  being  to 
show  that  there  was  a  strong  reforming  tendency  in 
Italy,  the  society  appointed  five  agents  to  act  for  it  in 
that  country,  one  of  whom  was  Count  Ottavio  Tasca. 
The  American  Church  co-operated  by  sending  Dr. 
Langdon  to  represent  it,  and  to  work  in  accord  with 
the  society,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  Bookshops 
were  opened  where  the  publications  of  the  society  and 
other  like  works  might  be  obtained,  and  short  tracts 
were  prepared  and  issued  specially  adapted  to  the 
circumstances.  One  of  these  publications  had  a  some- 
what singular  history.  Bishop  Christopher  Words- 


i866]  BARON  RICASOLI  227 

worth  wrote  '  Three  Letters  on  the  Relations  of  the 
State  and  the  Church  in  Italy,'  urging  the  establish- 
ment of  an  independent  National  Italian  Church.  To 
these  were  added  seven  letters  written  by  Prebendary 
Ford,  Rev.  W.  E.  Scudamore,  Rev.  G.  R.  Portal,  and 
myself.  The  pamphlet  thus  formed,  having  been 
translated  into  Italian  under  the  name  of  Died  Lettere, 
was  sent  to  every  member  of  the  Italian  Parliament, 
and  the  thanks  of  the  President  of  the  Chamber  were 
formally  returned  for  it.  Wordsworth's  letters  had 
been  translated  by  Signor  PifTeri,  and  the  Cardinal 
Archbishop  of  Fermo,  believing  Signor  Pifferi  to  have 
been  not  only  the  translator,  but  the  author,  offered 
him  valuable  preferment  on  the  sole  condition  of  his 
writing  nothing  more. 

So  keen  was  the  antagonism  between  the  young 
kingdom  of  Italy  and  the  Papacy,  that  no  less  than 
thirty-four  sees  became  vacant,  the  Pope  refusing  to 
consecrate  the  nominees  of  the  Crown.  All  seemed 
progressing  towards  the  establishment  of  a  National 
Church,  under  its  own  Archbishops  and  Bishops, 
independent  of  the  Papacy.  By  1866  it  had  become 
necessary  for  the  King's  Government  to  decide 
whether  to  defy  the  Papacy  or  to  make  terms  with  it. 
Baron  Ricasoli  had  now  succeeded  Cavour  as  Prime 
Minister,  and  he  was  in  heart  a  Protestant ;  but  he 
did  not  dare,  as  a  politician,  to  break  with  the  Papacy. 
He  chose  a  policy  of  reconciliation,  and  by  it  the 
reformation  movement  in  Italy  was  crushed — at  least, 
for  that  generation.  The  nomination  to  the  vacant 
sees  was  given  up  to  the  Pope ;  the  oaths  of  vassalage 
which  bind  Roman  Catholic  Bishops  to  the  Pope, 
and  the  bonds  which  attach  the  lower  clergy  to  the 
Bishops,  were  drawn  tighter.  Loyal  and  patriotic 
priests  were  given  up  to  the  vengeance  of  their 
superiors,  who  made  it  their  first  work  to  stifle  the 
spirit  of  reform  which  had  been  venturesome  enough 

15—2 


228  ITALY  [.1866 

to  make  the  Vatican  tremble.  In  every  corner  of 
Italy  the  Church  reformers  were  hunted  down  and 
silenced.  Finding  themselves  helpless,  they  returned 
to  the  old  system,  according  to  which  they  might 
believe  what  they  liked  and  live  as  they  liked,  pro- 
vided they  said  and  did  nothing  to  the  detriment  of 
the  authority  of  the  Curia.  Priests  became  more  than 
ever  the  slaves  of  the  Bishops,  and  the  Bishops  were 
more  than  ever  the  slaves  of  the  Pope.  Six  years 
after  this  time  Minghetti,  the  Italian  Prime  Minister, 
said  to  me  that  the  great  obstacle  to  the  welfare  of 
Italy  was  the  hostility  of  the  Bishops. 

*  Is  not  that  hostility,'  I  said,  '  to  be  expected,  when 
the  Bishops  are  nominated  by  the  person  who  osten- 
tatiously declares  himself  the  enemy  of  Italy  ?  and 
cannot  it  be  remedied  by  a  law  forbidding  the  oaths 
taken  by  the  Bishops  to  the  Pope,  and  by  giving  to 
the  clergy  the  right  of  electing  their  Bishops  ?' 

1  Certainly,'  said  Minghetti ;  '  but,  unhappily,  there 
is  no  public  opinion  which  would  back  up  statesmen 
in  taking  such  a  course.  Laymen  are,  for  the  most 
part,  content  with  disregarding  and  despising  religion 
in  general  because  presented  to  them  in  the  Papal 
form.' 

In  1866  Papalism  won  the  day  in  its  struggle  with 
Nationalism,  and  it  appeared  that  the  time  was  not 
come  for  Italy's  ecclesiastical  emancipation. 

At  this  time  I  was  brought  into  communication 
with  Cardinal  Andrea.  On  June  12,  1866,  he  was 
suspended  by  the  Pope  from  his  bishopric  of  Sabina 
on  the  alleged  ground  of  his  living  at  Naples  in 
disobedience  to  the  Papal  summons  to  Rome,  and  for 
arrogance  in  writing  letters  to  justify  himself;  but  the 
real  reason  was  that  in  political  matters  he  had 
espoused  the  national  cause  in  a  firm  though  quiet 
manner.  On  July  6  the  Cardinal  wrote  and  published 
a  letter  of  appeal  to  the  Pope,  better  informed,  in 


i867]  CARDINAL  ANDREA  229 

which  he  declared  that  the  brief  of  June  12  was  an  act 
1  radically  unjust  and  uncanonical ';  and  he  demanded 
a  formal  trial,  reminding  His  Holiness  that  'all  other 
Bishops  were  his  equals  so  far  as  order  by  Divine 
institution  went,  and  inferior  only  in  jurisdiction 
according  to  the  limits  laid  down  by  the  (Ecumenical 
Councils ';  that  '  a  Bishop  was  placed  to  rule  the 
Church,  not  by  man,  but  by  the  Holy  Spirit';  and  that 
'  there  was  no  ecclesiastical  dignity  more  sublime  or 
independent  than  that  of  a  Bishop.'  The  next  month 
he  wrote  to  Cardinal  Patrizi  in  like  terms,  and  engaged 
Professor  Passaglia  to  write  a  defence  of  the  liberty 
and  independence  of  Bishops.  Passaglia's  volume  was 
published  in  1867,  and  the  Cardinal  courteously  pre- 
sented a  copy  of  it  to  me,  in  return  for  which  I  wrote 
a  letter,  framed  on  the  model  of  one  of  Archbishop 
Wake's  letters  to  Dupin,  expressive  of  a  longing  to 
see  the  Cardinal  place  himself  at  the  head  of  an 
Italian  Synod  and  revindicate  the  ancient  liberties  of 
the  Italian  National  Church.  The  Cardinal  returned 
his  thanks,  and  requested  me  to  send  him  books 
bearing  on  the  subject  of  the  letter.  In  the  autumn 
of  1867  His  Eminence  determined  to  obey  the  Papal 
summons,  and  to  go  to  Rome.  Before  doing  so  he 
wrote  his  will,  in  which,  speaking  of  his  struggle 
with  the  Pope,  he  distinguished  between  the  man  and 
the  Pontiff.  Giovanni  Mastai  had  erred,  being  deceived 
by  Antonelli,  who  was  '  an  Ahitophel ';  by  Patrizi, 
who  was  '  an  ignorant  flatterer ';  and  by  Caterini,  who 
was  '  a  rogue.'  Before  setting  off  for  Rome,  he  sent 
me  a  message  requesting  me  to  put  no  faith  in  any 
recantation  that  might  be  attributed  to  him.  If  he 
signed  any,  it  would  be  by  compulsion.  On  his 
arrival  at  Rome  he  was  put  under  strict  surveillance, 
and  was  no  longer  able  to  write  freely.  In  February, 
1868,  he  sent  me  a  book  in  which  was  contained  a 
paper  with  the  words  '  L'  ultimo  atto  libero,  fatto  in 


230  ROME  [1868 

Napoli '  (This  was  my  last  free  act  done  in  Naples),  in 
the  Cardinal's  handwriting.  On  April  1 1  he  demanded 
leave  to  return  to  Naples,  which  was  refused  by 
Antonelli.  He  replied  that  he  would  not  remain  later 
than  May  21.  On  Wednesday,  May  13,  he  had  a 
personal  interview  with  the  Pope,  and  received  per- 
mission to  go.  The  next  day,  May  14,  after  his  usual 
drive,  he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  at  six  o'clock,  and  died 
at  eleven  o'clock  the  same  evening.  The  body  was 
opened  by  three  medical  men  in  the  presence  of  three 
ecclesiastics,  and  they  declared  that  there  was  nothing 
in  the  state  of  the  body  to  explain  his  sudden  death. 
His  papers  were,  according  to  custom,  sealed  up  and 
carried  to  Antonelli's  house.  The  Pope  officiated  at 
his  funeral.  Eusebio  Reali,  Professor  in  the  University 
of  Siena,  expressed  the  general  belief  in  Italy  in  a 
letter  written  to  the  Unitd  Cristiana  of  May  24,  in 
which  he  said  :  '  I,  and  many  others,  have  received  the 
sad  news  with  sorrow,  but  without  surprise.  I  thought 
that  on  the  day  on  which  the  unhappy  Cardinal  went 
to  Rome  he  ran  wilfully  into  the  arms  of  death.  He 
who  had  gone  out  thence,  three  years  ago,  as  an 
adversary,  could  not  return  except  as  a  victim.'  The 
natural  head  of  the  reforming  party,  which  was 
especially  strong  at  Naples,  was  thus  removed  out  of 
the  way  of  Antonelli  and  the  Curia. 

Fifteen  years  after  Ricasoli's  submission,  a  move- 
ment towards  reform  was  begun  in  Italy  on  a  much 
smaller  scale,  and  with  fewer  anticipations  of  a  great 
result,  to  which  the  society  gave  a  helping  hand  ;  but 
it  now  turned  its  attention  especially  to  Spain,  where 
liberty  of  conscience  was  declared  in  1868.  Since  the 
time  that  Protestantism  had  been  burnt  out  of  Spain 
by  Philip  II.  and  the  Inquisition,  the  profession  of  any 
faith  except  that  of  the  dominant  Church  had  been 
contrary  to  law,  and  punishable  with  death  or  im- 
prisonment. A  Spaniard  from  Catalonia,  desirous  of 


i868]  SPANISH  REVOLUTION  231 

a  Protestant  education,  had  been  sent  to  England  by 
the  Rev.  M.  Powley,  Chaplain  at  Gibraltar,  and,  after 
training  at  St.  Aidan's,  was  ordained  by  the  Bishop  of 
Gibraltar  and  sent  by  the  Anglo-Continental  Society 
to  Gibraltar,  where  he  conducted  a  service  in  the 
Spanish  language,  translated  from  the  English  Prayer- 
Book.  But  he  was  not  allowed  to  open  his  mouth  out- 
side the  British  lines.  Gibraltar  was  also  the  refuge  of 
the  Rev.  J.  B.  Cabrera,  who  occupied  some  part  of  his 
time  in  translating  Bishop  Harold  Browne's  Exposition 
of  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  for  the  society.  When,  in 
1868,  Queen  Isabella,  who  had  long  scandalized  Europe 
by  the  combined  profligacy  and  bigotry  of  her  Court, 
was  deposed  by  a  revolution  conducted  by  General 
Prim,  the  refugees  in  Gibraltar  found  Spain  opened  to 
them,  and  Protestant  congregations  were  established 
in  all  the  chief  towns  in  the  Peninsula.  Most  of  these 
congregations  were  Presbyterian  in  character,  but 
some  2,000  out  of  10,000  souls  declared  themselves 
Episcopalians  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  J.  B. 
Cabrera.  The  latter  body,  to  which  the  Anglo-Conti- 
nental Society  gave  such  help  and  support  as  it  couldf 
organized  itself  so  definitely  during  the  next  ten  years 
that,  in  conjunction  with  the  Portuguese  reformers,  it 
petitioned  the  Lambeth  Conference  of  1878  to  extend 
to  it  a  brotherly  recognition  ;  and  it  requested  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  or  the  Archbishop  of 
Armagh  to  nominate  a  Bishop  to  superintend  its 
work.  Lord  Plunket,  who  was  present  as  Bishop  of 
Meath,  was  much  interested  by  this  appeal  of  Spanish 
brethren,  and  from  hence  originated  his  work  for 
Spain  which  culminated  in  the  consecration  of  Bishop 
Cabrera.  For  the  present,  Archbishop  Tait,  speaking 
in  behalf  of  the  Lambeth  Conference,  advised  the 
petitioners  to  be  content  with  the  assistance  which 
Bishop  Riley,  lately  appointed  Bishop  for  Mexico  by 
the  American  Church,  was  willing  to  offer  them. 


232  SPAIN  [18/8 

Lord  Plunket  wrote  to  me  to  ask  if  the  Anglo- 
Continental  Society  would  come  to  the  assistance  of 
the  Spanish  reformers  in  respect  to  material  help. 
On  consideration,  it  appeared  best  that  a  separate 
organization  should  be  instituted  for  Spain  and 
Portugal,  the  proceedings  of  which  were  annually 
reported  to  the  committee  of  the  Anglo-Continental 
Society  by  Lord  Plunket. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Norwich — Bishop  Pelham — Dean  Goulburn — Canon  Heaviside — 
W.  E.  Gladstone. 

DURING  my  residence  in  Norwich  (1861-1869),  the 
Bishop  of  the  diocese  was  Dr.  Pelham,  the  last  of 
the  Bishops  said  to  have  been  appointed  by  Lord 
Palmerston  at  the  instance  of  Lord  Shaftesbury.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  personal  piety,  and  devoted  to  the 
work  of  his  diocese ;  deeply  loved  by  those  who  knew 
him  well,  and  respected  by  all.  In  his  episcopate  a 
difficulty  occurred  in  respect  to  the  Church  Congress. 
At  the  previous  Congress  it  had  been  stated  by  Hugh 
Stowell  that  he  was  sure  that  the  Bishop  would  wel- 
come the  next  year's  Congress  at  Norwich.  Accord- 
ingly, Norwich  was  fixed  upon,  and  the  previous 
Congress  was  dissolved.  When  the  time  came  for 
making  preparations  for  the  new  Congress,  Hugh 
Stowell  was  dead,  and  the  Bishop  had  received  no 
invitation;  and  without  an  invitation  he  did  not  see 
his  way  to  act.  The  difficulty  arose  from  there  being 
at  that  time  no  permanent  Congress  committee,  and 
therefore  nobody  connected  with  the  Congress  from 
whom  an  invitation  could  emanate,  so  that  there 
appeared  a  danger  of  the  lapse  of  the  year's  Congress. 
The  Bishop  felt  that  his  scruple  would  be  removed 
if  he  received  an  invitation  from  the  diocese ;  a  public 
meeting  was  therefore  held  in  Norwich,  which  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  canvass  the  clergy  and  leading 

233 


234  NORWICH  [1861 

laity  of  Norfolk.  The  great  majority  being  in  favour 
of  the  proposal,  a  resolution  was  passed  that  the 
diocese,  as  shown  by  the  canvass,  desired  and  invited 
the  Bishop  to  preside  at  the  meeting.  The  Congress 
was  held,  and  turned  out  to  be  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant in  the  series,  being  attended  by  Dr.  Pusey,  Bishop 
Wilberforce,  Bishop  Harvey  Goodwin,  and  others. 
The  Bishop,  as  usual,  showed  himself  an  excellent 
chairman. 

Dr.  Goulburn,  who  succeeded  Dr.  Pellew  as  Dean 
of  Norwich  on  the  latter's  death,  united  in  himself  the 
better  qualities  both  of  the  Evangelical  and  the  Oxford 
Movement.  His  sermons  and  books  were,  and  are, 
of  great  influence.  He  had  a  devoted  following  in 
Norfolk. 

The  Dean  had  Meyrick  for  one  of  his  Christian 
names,  and  on  my  inquiring  what  was  the  cause  of  it, 
I  was  told  the  following  tale:  The  Dean's  father, 
when  a  young  man,  engaged  himself  to  be  married  to 
a  lady,  whose  name,  if  I  recollect  right,  was  Chetwynd. 
They  had  not  sufficient  means  on  which  to  marry. 
After  the  engagement  had  continued  for  some  time, 
Miss  Meyrick,  an  aunt  of  Miss  Chetwynd,  an  elderly 
lady  stiff  with  ceremony  and  brocade,  said  that  she 
should  '  desire  to  see  that  young  man.'  On  his  arrival, 
she  received  him  with  a  ceremonious  curtsey  in  return 
for  his  bow.  Having  asked  him  some  questions,  and 
conversed  with  him  for  a  short  time,  she  dismissed 
him  with  the  same  formal  curtsey  with  which  she 
had  received  him.  But  as  he  went  away  she  said : 
*  I  think,  sir,  that  this  marriage  must  proceed.'  As 
she  was  the  means  of  enabling  the  wedding  '  to 
proceed,'  Mr.  Goulburn's  eldest  son  was  named 
Meyrick  after  her.  I  did  not  trace  the  lineage  of 
Miss  Meyrick,  but  she  was  no  doubt  connected  more 
or  less  closely  with  the  Meyricks  of  Bodorgan,  as  she 
spelt  her  name  with  a  y  representing  the  u  in  the 


i86i]  CANON  HEAVISIDE  235 

Welsh  Meuric,  from  whom  the  Mey ricks  of  Bodorgan, 
and  all  who  spell  their  name  in  the  same  way,  are 
believed  to  be  derived. 

The  only  resident  Canon  was  Canon  Heaviside,  an 
able  and  active-minded  man,  who  took  part  in  the 
work  of  most  of  the  philanthropical  and  religious 
societies  of  the  city.  His  motto  seemed  to  be  '  Live, 
and  let  live ';  he  was  never  known  to  say  an  unkind 
word  of  anyone,  and  his  house  and  table  were  open 
to  all  his  friends  and  acquaintances.  He  had  taken 
high  mathematical  honours  at  Cambridge,  and  had 
been  examiner  at  Haileybury  under  the  old  system. 

There  is  in  Norwich  a  clerical  society  called  by 
the  singular  name  of  the  Boat  Club,  because  the  first 
five  members  of  it  had  been  in  the  habit  of  rowing  in 
a  four-oar  on  the  river  for  exercise.  Acting  in  behalf 
of  this  society,  I  exerted  myself  to  establish  a  '  Church- 
man's Club,'  where  young  men  employed  in  the  shops 
might  find  a  resting-place  when  unemployed,  and 
read  books  or  newspapers,  and  be  supplied  with 
coffee.  A  committee  of  management  was  appointed, 
partly  consisting  of  the  clergy  and  partly  of  the 
young  men,  and  arrangements  were  made  for  weekly 
classes  and  annual  public  meetings.  The  subjects 
of  instruction  for  the  classes  were  the  Bible,  Church 
history,  ecclesiastical  music,  shorthand,  and  some 
others.  I  undertook  the  class  of  Church  history, 
beginning  with  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  going 
on  to  sketch  the  story  of  the  primitive  ages.  I  con- 
tinued it  each  week  during  one  winter  and  spring. 
The  numbers  attending  the  class  were  not  great,  but 
those  who  came  were  much  interested.  One  of  them 
was  a  man  employed  in  a  factory,  and  nearly  sixty 
years  of  age.  The  club  was  afterwards  amalgamated 
with  the  Church  of  England  Young  Men's  Institution. 

A  considerable  part  of  the  external  business  of  the 
diocese  was  done  by  Canon  Hinds  Howell.  After 


236  DRAYTON  [1868 

his  ordination  he  was  curate  to  Bishop  Phillpotts  of 
Exeter,  but  when  his  half-brother,  Dr.  Hinds,  was 
appointed  Bishop  of  Norwich,  he  migrated  from  the 
West  to  the  East  of  England,  becoming  Rector  of 
Drayton  and  Honorary  Canon  of  Norwich  in  1855. 
In  1868  he  was  elected  Proctor  to  represent  the  clergy 
of  the  Norwich  Diocese  in  Convocation.  He  was 
a  type  of  the  well-to-do,  high  Tory,  despotic  parsons, 
who  ruled  their  parishes  with  a  rod,  apparently  of 
iron,  but  which  every  parishioner  knew  to  be  wrapped 
round  with  so  soft  a  material,  made  of  love  and  kindli- 
ness, as  never  to  hurt.  When  he  was  past  eighty,  I 
was  walking  with  him  to  the  village  school,  which  he 
or  his  daughter  (and  sometimes  both)  visited  every 
day,  when  he  saw,  on  the  bank  above  us,  a  boy  who 
ought  to  have  been  at  school.  '  Where  are  you  going, 
sir?'  cried  Howell.  The  boy  grinned  and  did  not 
answer.  Howell  leaped  up  the  bank  as  if  he  had 
been  twenty,  and,  seizing  the  boy  by  the  collar  of  his 
coat,  demanded  ferociously  where  he  was  going.  The 
boy,  still  grinning,  said  that  the  governess  had  sent 
him  home.  '  What  for  ?'  said  Howell.  '  Mother  was 
taken  bad  last  night,'  said  the  boy.  '  Eh  ?'  said 
Howell ;  '  tell  her  I'll  call  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours. 
And  if  she  wants  any  soup,  go  to  the  Rectory  for  it.' 
Then,  resuming  his  ferocious  tone,  'And,  you  young 
rascal,  another  time,  answer  when  you  are  spoken  to.' 
The  boy  grinned  again,  and  went  on  his  way,  having 
known  all  along  that  parson  meant  no  harm  to  him. 
Men  of  Howell's  stamp  loved  their  Church  and  loved 
the  poor,  and  England  owes  much  to  them. 

In  the  autumn  of  1868  was  held  the  Church  Congress 
at  Dublin,  which  I  attended  in  company  with  Bishop 
Harvey  Goodwin,  then  Dean  of  Ely. 

On  my  way  to  Ireland,  I  stopped  for  two  nights 
with  Dean  Howson  at  Chester.  He  was  the  joint 
author,  with  Conybeare,  of  the  Life  of  St.  Paul— 


i868]  DEAN  HOWSON  237 

a  man  of  ability,  piety,  and  geniality.  Some  years 
later  he  did  good  service  at  the  Conferences  of 
Bonn  by  showing  that  the  Old  Catholics  had  the 
sympathies  of  some,  at  least,  belonging  to  every 
section  of  the  English  Church.  He  there  co-operated 
with  Canon  Liddon,  and  they  showed  an  agreement 
in  all  essentials.  On  his  proposal,  a  clause  was  added 
to  Dr.  v.  Dollinger's  statement  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
Holy  Communion,  as  he  feared  that  its  aspect  as 
a  sacred  feast  was  not  indicated  with  sufficient 
prominence. 

From  Chester  I  went  to  Bangor,  and  thence  to 
Bodorgan.  The  house  is  beautifully  situated,  with  a 
distant  view  of  Snowdon,  and  approached  by  a  long 
drive  bordered  on  each  side,  first  by  turf,  and  then 
by  shrubs.  I  was  welcomed  cordially  by  Mr.  Fuller 
Meyrick,  the  owner,  and  he  exhibited  to  me  some 
of  the  treasures  of  the  library.  I  found  there  a  book 
containing  an  account  of  families  connected  with  the 
house  of  Bodorgan,  together  with  the  arms  to  which 
they  were  entitled  in  addition  to  the  general  Meyrick 
arms.  Among  them  was  a  shield  representing  three 
cocks,  and  a  statement  that  it  belonged  to  '  Meuric, 
King  of  Dyned,  from  whom  they  of  Kidwelly  do 
descend.'  These  were  arms  which  my  grandfather 
brought  with  him  when  he  came  into  England  from 
Kidwelly.  At  a  later  date,  when  paying  a  visit  to 
the  Bishop  of  Bangor,  I  was  driven  to  Bodorgan, 
together  with  my  daughter  Mabel,  by  Archdeacon 
Pryce,  but  at  that  time,  unfortunately,  the  owners 
were  absent. 

In  Dublin  I  was  interested  to  meet  a  Mr.  Samuel 
Meyrick,  whose  family  had  been  settled  for  200  years 
in  Ireland,  having  emigrated  there  from  Wales.  He 
belonged  to  the  Meyricks  of  Bush,  descended,  like 
the  Caemarthenshire  branch,  from  Rowland  Meyrick, 
Bishop  of  Bangor. 


238  DUBLIN  [1868 

Archbishop  Trench,  who  presided  at  the  Congress 
in  Dublin,  was  at  the  time  in  great  distress  owing  to 
the  Irish  Disestablishment,  which  was  then  impend- 
ing. I  asked  him  whether  he  thought  it  desirable  to 
hold  a  meeting  of  the  English  Churchmen  then  in 
Dublin  to  strengthen  his  hands  in  resisting  the 
measure ;  but  he  judged  that  things  were  gone  too  far, 
and  that  such  a  step  would  be  useless,  and  Bishop 
Wilberforce,  whom  he  consulted,  was  of  the  same 
opinion.  It  was  at  this  Congress  that  Dean  Magee, 
soon  after  appointed  Bishop  of  Peterborough,  and 
subsequently  Archbishop  of  York,  preached  his 
famous  sermon  on  the  text  '  Come  over  and  help 
us.'  The  three  most  eloquent  ecclesiastics  of  the 
Anglican  Church  took  part  in  the  discussions  of  the 
Congress — Bishop  Wilberforce,  Bishop  Magee,  and 
Bishop  Alexander  of  Derry,  afterwards  Archbishop 
of  Armagh. 

On  my  way  to  Dublin  I  paid  a  visit,  together  with 
Dr.  John  Ogle,  to  Mr.  Gladstone  at  Hawarden.  We 
were  most  courteously  and  kindly  received,  and  after 
luncheon  Mr.  Gladstone  took  us  into  his  library,  the 
rule  of  which  was  that  visitors  might  talk  as  they 
would  on  their  first  visit,  but  afterwards  must  keep  a 
severe  silence.  After  some  conversation,  the  subject 
of  evolution  and  Darwinism  came  up,  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone said  very  emphatically :  '  Is  there  any  proved 
instance  of  one  class  passing  into  another  ?  I  know 
none.' 

My  first  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Gladstone  was  made 
in  the  year  1849  in  Dalkeith  Palace,  where  he  made  a 
passing  visit.  The  Duchess  of  Buccleuch  asked  me  to 
show  to  him  a  part  of  the  park  called,  if  I  recollect,  the 
Oak  Walk,  and  this  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  a  good 
deal  of  conversation,  in  which  I  was  much  struck  by 
the  frankness  with  which  Mr.  Gladstone  spoke  on 
Church  subjects  with  a  young  man  not  yet  a  Master 


UN/VER 
1868]  W.  E.  GLADSTONE  239 

of  Arts.  At  a  later  time,  when  Mr.  Gladstone  was 
candidate  for  the  University  of  Oxford,  I  voted  for 
him  each  time  that  he  stood,  and  I  had  a  general 
invitation  from  him  to  breakfast  with  him  any 
Wednesday  that  I  was  in  London.  Sometimes  these 
breakfasts  were  attended  by  few,  sometimes  by  a  large 
number,  frequent  guests  being  Sir  Robert  Inglis,  the 
elder  member  for  Oxford,  Bishop  Wilberforce,  and  Lord 
Lyttelton.  When  he  became  Prime  Minister  many 
leading  politicians  were  present.  On  one  occasion  the 
Marquis  of  Cavour  and  a  French  notability  sat  on  each 
side  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  and  it  was  interesting  to  note 
the  ease  with  which  Mr.  Gladstone  passed  from  Italian 
to  French  and  from  French  to  English  in  addressing 
one  or  other  of  his  guests. 

There  were  three  things  which  brought  me  into 
communication  with  Mr.  Gladstone,  in  addition  to 
University  reform,  of  which  I  have  already  spoken  : 
they  were  the  interest  that  he  took  in  the  Old  Catholic 
Movement,  his  love  for  Italy,  and  his  antagonism  to 
the  modern  Roman  system,  which  he  termed  Vati- 
canism, to  which  was  afterwards  added  his  antagonism 
to  the  rationalist  Biblical  criticism.  On  the  first  he 
wrote  to  Madame  Novikoff:  '  My  interest  in  the  Old 
Catholics  is  cordial.  A  sister  of  mine  died  in  virtual 
union  with  them  after  having  been  Roman  over  thirty 
years.  They  may  do  great  good,  and  prevent  the 
Latin  Church  by  moral  force  from  further  extrava- 
gancies.' To  the  editor  of  the  Labaro  he  said  :  '  I 
heartily  wish  prosperity  to  the  Reform  Movement 
begun  within  the  Italian  Church.  I  think  it  most  im- 
portant that  it  should  become  fully  known  in  England, 
and  the  more  frequently  and  largely  it  is  brought 
before  us,  the  better.  But  I  need  not  add  that  the 
vitality  of  the  movement  must  depend,  with  God's 
help,  on  its  really  Italian  character  and  on  its  having 
its  roots  in  Italian  soil.  For  my  part,  I  am  not  ani- 


240  W.  E.  GLADSTONE  [1874 

mated  by  the  spirit  of  controversy  on  such  a  question ; 
but  when  members  of  the  Latin  Church  feel  with 
Dollinger  that  it  is  impossible  to  lay  a  safe  foundation 
on  an  historical  falsehood,  and  that  truth,  faith,  and 
liberty  will  stand  or  fall  together,  I  cannot,  as  a 
Christian,  deny  them  my  sympathy.  However,  I  am 
not  disposed  to  act  individually,  and  my  desire  on  this, 
as  on  other  questions,  is  to  act  in  accordance  with  the 
authorities  of  the  Anglican  Church,  and  especially  with 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  whom  we  regard  as 
our  spiritual  head.' 

To  the  Libero  Edificare  he  wrote :  '  My  humble  hope 
for  Italy  lies  in  a  reformation  of  its  Church  from  within 
its  own  bosom  on  the  basis  of  the  ancient  Christian 
Creed.' 

When  Dr.  v.  Dollinger  called  the  first  Conference 
of  Bonn,  Mr.  Gladstone's  interest  in  Old  Catholicism 
was  redoubled.  Mr.  Gladstone,  Bishop  Harold  Browne, 
and  Bishop  Christopher  Wordsworth  were  the  three 
Englishmen  of  leading  position  who  saw  what  Dol- 
linger's  movement  might  become,  and  what  great 
results  might  follow  to  the  Church  at  large  from  the 
attempt  made  by  him  to  combine  all  non-Vaticanized 
episcopal  Churches  in  an  anti-Roman  alliance.  Mr. 
Gladstone  heartily  embraced  the  conclusions  of  the 
first  Conference,  and  before  the  second  Conference  he 
wrote  a  warm  letter  of  approval  to  Dr.  v.  Dollinger, 
explaining  that  he  did  so  '  from  my  firm  confidence  in 
your  wisdom,  and  my  profound  sympathy  with  what  I 
believe  to  be  your  general  purpose.'  Immediately 
after  the  second  Conference  at  Bonn,  held  in  August, 
1875,  the  committee  of  the  Anglo-Continental  Society 
determined  to  raise  funds  for  the  education  of  Old 
Catholic  students  at  Bonn,  and  I  preached  a  sermon 
in  Lincoln  Cathedral  on  the  subject. 

Mr.  Gladstone  wrote :  '  I  thank  you  very  much  for 
your  able,  clear,  and  very  interesting  address.  I 


f87s]  W.  E.  GLADSTONE  241 

should  be  most  happy  to  join  in  the  proposed  sub- 
scription, if,  as  I  have  no  doubt,  it  has  the  approval 
of  Dr.  Dollinger.  What  I  would  advise  is  a  small 
meeting  of  friendly  persons  in  London  next  February 
to  consider  how  the  matter  should  be  put  forward  and 
generally  how  to  help.'  Accordingly,  Mr.  Gladstone 
met  some  of  the  members  of  the  committee  of  the 
Anglo-Continental  Society  in  Delahay  Street,  and  he 
gave  £40  towards  the  fund  for  scholarships  for  the 
Old  Catholic  students  at  Bonn  in  1875,  and  £20  in 
1876.  In  respect  to  showing  English  sympathy  with 
the  cause,  he  wrote :  '  I  do  not  at  present  see  any 
better  method  of  proceeding  than  that  proposed  by 
Mr.  [Beresford]  Hope.'  This  was  an  address  to 
Dollinger,  which  was  signed  by  3,800  clergy  and 
4,250  laymen. 

In  the  following  year  Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  to  me : 
'As  respects  Bonn,  I  was  much  pleased  with  the 
recent  address  of  Bishop  Herzog,  and  with  the  letter 
of  Abbe  Deramey  in  your  Correspondence  of  the 
Anglo  -  Continental  Society  just  received;  but  I  do 
not  know  enough  of  the  position  and  of  the  relation 
of  the  Swiss  to  the  German  Old  Catholics  to  be  pre- 
pared to  take  any  active  part  about  it.  Your  Foreign 
Church  Chronicle  seems  to  me  to  fill  a  great  gap,  and, 
if  well  supported,  to  have  great  promise  of  utility.  I 
propose  to  subscribe  to  it,  wishing  it  all  manner  of 
good.'  On  my  asking  Mr.  Gladstone  to  join  the  com- 
mittee of  the  Anglo-Continental  Society,  he  replied : 
*  Neither  political  considerations  nor  want  of  confi- 
dence in  the  least  degree  obstruct  my  agreeing  to 
your  kind  request,  but  I  have  a  dislike  to  the 
ostensible  assumption  of  duties  which  I  know  I 
cannot  fulfil,  and  therefore,  unless  you  strongly  wish 
it  otherwise,  I  would  rather  remain  on  your  lists  as 
a  simple  contributor.  I  would  on  no  account  send 
you  such  an  answer,  were  I  not  under  the  impression 

iti 


242  W.  E.  GLADSTONE  [1862 

that  a  sign  of  approval  is,  in  truth,  as  completely  given 
in  this  way  as  it  can  be  in  any.  I  am  very  glad  to 
hear  that  the  society  grows.  It  was  to  be  expected 
at  its  early  stages  its  progress  should  be  slow,  and 
I  have  no  doubt  you  find  much  difficulty  in  finding 
vents  for  your  publications  on  the  Continent.' 

Mr.  Gladstone's  love  for  Italy  commenced  when, 
in  his  letters  to  Lord  Aberdeen,  he  made  his  noble 
appeal  to  the  public  opinion  of  Europe  against  the 
treatment  by  the  King  of  Naples  of  Baron  Poerio  and 
his  companions,  who  were  thrown  into  prison  on  no 
other  ground  than  that  they  had  the  reputation  of 
being  Liberals;  and  from  that  time  forward  Italy 
cast  over  him  that  fascination  which  she  alone  of  all 
countries  seems  capable  of  exercising.  This  has  been 
indicated  by  some  of  the  passages  already  quoted 
respecting  the  growth  of  the  Old  Catholic  Movement 
in  Italy. 

In  1862  I  forwarded  to  him  some  letters  written  by 
Italians,  and  in  sending  them  back  he  wrote :  '  I  return 
these  interesting  letters,  which  before  to-day  I  had 
not  found  time  to  read.  If  Garibaldi  would  come  to 
England,  he  would  have  a  great  reception.  In  the 
matter  of  Rattazzi  as  against  Ricasoli,  I  cannot  but 
think  Italy  has  lost  much  by  the  last  change  of  her 
Ministry;  but  I  trust,  notwithstanding,  that  all  who 
wish  her  well  will  rally  round  the  Italian  Government 
as  such,  and  cause  the  country  to  present  one  face  to 
friend  and  foe.  It  is  impossible  not  to  regard  with 
profound  interest  the  possible,  or  indeed  probable, 
course  of  religious  affairs  in  Italy,  nor  I  think  can  any 
individual  blame  himself — at  least,  I  hope  not — if,  in 
intercourse  with  his  friends  there,  he  speaks  according 
to  his  convictions  and  his  hopes,  within  the  bounds  of 
truth  and  reason.'  At  the  same  time  he  was  afraid 
of  any  interference  from  without  which  might  give 
offence  to  Italian  susceptibilities.  When  I  asked  him 


i87o]  W.  E.  GLADSTONE  243 

to  speak  on  the  subject  of  Italian  reform,  he  replied : 
'  I  am  afraid  there  is  more  than  one  conclusive  reason 
against  my  complying  with  your  request,  that  I 
would  attend  and  speak  at  the  proposed  meeting 
of  the  Continental  Society;  but  that  which  at  once 
and  principally  operates  with  me  is,  that  I  think 
the  relative  prominence  which  my  name,  through 
accidental  circumstances,  has  acquired  in  Italy  with 
respect  to  several  great  public  questions,  renders  it 
highly  inexpedient  for  me  to  interfere  in  any  design 
which  aims  directly  and  publicly  at  influencing  the 
course  of  religious  questions.  The  effect  of  my  doing 
this  would,  I  think,  be  to  damage  both.' 

Mr.  Gladstone's  hostility  to  the  existing  tendencies 
in  the  Church  of  Rome  was  exhibited  by  his  powerful 
denunciation  of  'Vaticanism'  and  the  less  well-known 
proposal  that  he  made  to  the  British  Cabinet  to  adopt 
the  course  recommended,  at  Ddllinger's  instigation,  by 
the  Bavarian  Government,  to  prohibit  the  admission 
of  the  dogma  of  the  Pope's  Infallibility  into  European 
States  as  incompatible  with  civil  allegiance.  This 
proposal  was  made  at  the  time  that  the  Vatican 
Council  was  sitting,  and  I  have  already  stated  why 
it  was  not  adopted.*  Mr.  Gladstone's  attitude  towards 
Vaticanism  was  not  merely  the  result  of  an  antagonism 
to  the  Vatican  Council,  but  was  a  permanent  trait  in 
his  character.  As  late  as  the  year  1891,  he  wrote,  in 
a  letter  which  was  published,  that  he  'did  not  in  the 
least  degree  withdraw  his  profound  opposition  to  the 
Vatican  as  the  mortal  enemy  of  human  liberty.' 

There  was  another  theological  point  which  brought 
me  into  contact  and  sympathy  with  Mr.  Gladstone. 
This  was  the  question  of  modern  criticism,  designated 
by  Mr.  Gladstone  as  'negative  criticism,'  which  was 
showing  itself  in  its  chief  advocates  to  be  rationalistic 
in  its  character.  The  three  leading  men  who  first 

*  See  p.  59. 

16—2 


244  W.  E.  GLADSTONE  [1891 

gave  warning  of  an  approaching  danger  were  Bishop 
Ellicott,  Bishop  Charles  Wordsworth,  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone, and  their  warning  was  followed  by  a  Declara- 
tion, chiefly  inspired  by  Dean  Goulburn,  signed 
by  thirty-eight  Churchmen,  of  whom  I  was  one,  in 
the  last  month  of  1891.  Mr.  Gladstone's  contribution 
to  the  subject  was  a  book  entitled  The  Impreg- 
nable Rock  of  Holy  Scripture,  in  which  he  offered  the 
most  convincing  proof  of  the  antiquity  and  sanctity  of 
many  of  the  Psalms  to  which  that  character  had  been 
denied,  and  of  the  genuine  character  of  the  Mosaic 
legislation. 

In  1891  I  had  written  an  article  remonstrating  with 
the  late  Bishop  of  Manchester  for  throwing  his  shield 
over  rationalistic  impugners  of  Holy  Scripture,  and 
for  arguing  in  favour  of  the  theory  of  the  ignorance  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  on  the  hypothesis  that  He  had 
voluntarily  laid  aside  His  knowledge.  I  sent  a  reprint 
of  the  article  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  and  received  the 
following  reply : 

I  DEAR  MR.  MEYRICK, 

'On  the  morning  when  I  received  your  very 
interesting  letter  I  was  laid  down  with  influenza. 

I 1  think  you  entirely  dispose  of  the  Bishop's  argu- 
ment.    The  subject  [of  our  Lord's  knowledge]  is  so 
lofty  and  mysterious  in  itself  that  I  do  not  venture  to 
enter  upon  it,  but  I  apprehend  that  in  nothing  was 
He  Himself  deceived,  and  in  nothing  did  He  deceive 
others.' 

Mr.  Gladstone  was  a  great  statesman :  whether  in 
that  capacity  he  did  or  did  not  make  serious  mistakes 
in  South  Africa  and  the  Soudan,  in  Oxford  and  in  Ire- 
land, I  am  not  now  inquiring.  He  was  also  a  great 
Churchman,  superior  to  most  of  his  contemporaries, 
whether  lay  or  ecclesiastical.  That  so  true  and  faith- 


i898] 


W.  E.  GLADSTONE 


245 


ful  a  Christian  (one  of  his  last  sayings  was,  '  All  I  write, 
and  all  I  think,  and  all  I  hope,  is  based  upon  the  Divinity 
of  our  Lord — the  one  central  hope  of  our  poor  way- 
ward race '),  so  outspoken  a  defender  of  the  Christian 
revelation  (witness  his  Impregnable  Rock  of  Holy 
Scripture],  so  firm  an  opponent  of  the  whole  system 
of  Popery  (witness  his  Vaticanism  and  his  sympathy 
with  Old  Catholic  reform),  so  righteous  an  enemy  of 
tyranny  (witness  his  early  letters  to  Lord  Aberdeen 
and  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  Bulgaria  and  Armenia), 
should  have  been  Prime  Minister  of  England,  and 
because  of  those  qualities  and  of  that  character  should 
have  been  honoured  in  his  death,  without  regard 
to  his  political  views,  as  no  other  man  within  our 
memory  has  been  honoured,  is  a  thing  of  which 
Englishmen  may  be  proud. 


CHAPTER  XV 

Incumbency  of  Blickling — Bishop   Christopher  Wordsworth — Arch- 
bishop Benson — Bishop  Lightfoot— Bishop  Cleveland  Coxe. 

IN  the  autumn  of  1868  I  was  instituted  to  the  living  of 
Blickling  and  Erpingham,  which  led  to  my  resignation 
of  the  office  of  H.M.  Inspector  of  Schools,  after  hold- 
ing it  for  ten  years,  and  to  my  leaving  Norwich.  In 
the  same  year  Dr.  Christopher  Wordsworth  was 
nominated  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  and  he  appointed  E.  W. 
Benson,  then  Head  of  Wellington  College,  and  myself, 
as  his  examining  chaplains,  and  we  accordingly  at- 
tended him  on  his  consecration  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
February  24,  1869.  It  was  my  usual  practice  to  go  to 
Riseholme  twice  in  the  year  for  the  examination  of 
candidates,  and  on  the  Bishop's  resignation  in  1884  ne 
gave  me  a  copy  of  the  Benedictine  edition  of  the  works 
of  St.  Chrysostom,  with  the  following  inscription : 
*  This  copy  of  the  works  of  St.  John  Chrysostom  is 
affectionately  offered  to  his  very  dear  friend,  brother, 
and  chaplain,  the  Rev.  Canon  Meyrick,  in  grateful 
remembrance  of  his  faithful  and  loving  service,  wise 
and  learned  counsel,  and  tender  sympathy  and  help, 
by  his  thankful  fellow-labourer,  C.  Lincoln.  Christ- 
mas Day,  1884.' 

Bishop  Christopher  Wordsworth  was  one  of  the 
truest  successors  and  representatives  of  the  Anglican 
divines  of  the  seventeenth  century  that  we  have  seen 
in  our  own  days.  He  had  their  learning,  their  literary 

246 


i869]        BISHOP  CHR.  WORDSWORTH         247 

diligence,  their  firm  grasp  of  Catholic  truth,  their  un- 
compromising hostility  to  Popery,  their  resistance  to 
Puritanism,  their  distrust  of  latitudinarianism,  their 
wholesome  way  of  knowing  what  they  meant  and 
saying  it,  their  courage,  their  manliness.  Throughout 
the  time  of  the  Tractarian  Movement  there  were 
thoughtful  and  learned  men  who  did  not  identify  them- 
selves with  the  Tractarian  party,  though  co-operating 
with  it  on  many  points  and  on  many  occasions.  Such 
were  Archbishop  Trench,  Bishop  S.  Wilberforce,  Dean 
Hook,  and  Wordsworth.  Archbishop  Trench  was 
removed  from  the  scene  by  his  Irish  archbishopric. 
The  other  three  men  did  much  towards  closing  the 
breach  which  Newman's  secession  had  made  in  the 
walls  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  by  their  learning 
and  personal  firmness  confirming  perplexed  souls  in 
the  faith  of  their  forefathers.  Wordsworth,  like  his 
father,  brothers,  and  son,  was  a  fine  scholar,  and  it 
was  delightful  to  see  in  him  the  scholar  underlying 
the  theologian,  and  giving  him  a  sympathy  with  all 
belonging  to  the  republic  of  letters.  The  Church  of 
England  has  been,  and  is,  singularly  happy  in  having 
prelates  who,  while  they  are  Bishops  first  and  above 
all  things,  are  also  scholars  and  men  of  general  cultiva- 
tion and  learning ;  that  gives  her  a  hold  on  the  educated 
classes,  which  in  every  other  European  country  have, 
to  a  large  degree,  fallen  away  from  the  Christian  faith. 
Wordsworth  was  made  fora  Bishop,  and  the  absolute 
agreement  of  his  own  personal  views  with  the  doctrine, 
tenets,  traditions,  and  sentiments  of  the  Church  of 
England,  in  their  extension  and  in  their  limitation, 
made  his  position  as  an  English  Bishop  a  singularly 
happy  and  fortunate  one.  He  was  loyal,  to  the  inner- 
most core  of  his  heart,  to  the  Church  of  which  he  was 
a  chief  officer,  both  in  her  Catholic  and  in  her  Pro- 
testant aspect ;  and  he  had  no  difficulty  in  reconciling 
these  characteristics,  but  always  felt  and  maintained 


248         BISHOP  CHR.  WORDSWORTH        [1885 

that   the    one  necessarily  involved   the   other  under 
the  conditions  of  modern  Christendom.     His  diocese 
claimed  and  received  his  first  care,  but  it  did  not  make 
him   forget   the   claims   of  the   province  and  of   the 
National  Church.      Nor,  again,  did  the  affairs  of  the 
National  Church  so  absorb  his  attention  as  to  make 
him  careless  of  the  fortunes  of  the  Church  Catholic. 
He  shares  with  Bishop  Harold  Browne  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone the  distinction  of  having  realized  how  great  a 
thing  the  Old  Catholic  Movement  might  be  in  respect 
to    the   whole   of    Christendom,    by   making   foreign 
Christians    recognise    the    difference    between    true 
Catholicism  and  mediaevalism.     Realizing  the  evils  of 
the  system  culminating  in  Popery,  he  threw  himself 
into  the  thick  of  the  battle  against  Roman  claims  and 
doctrines.     His  Letters  to  M.   Gondon,  together  with 
the  sequel,  On  the  Destructive  Character  of  the  Church  of 
Rome  both  in  Religion  and  Polity,  are  not  only  a  bril- 
liant specimen  of  controversial  polemics,  but  serve  as 
a  repertory,  from  which  antipapal  weapons   may  be 
drawn  for  all  time.     The  great  literary  work  of  his 
life  was  not,  however,  controversial,  being  a  commen- 
tary on  the  whole  of  Holy  Scripture.     His  literary 
and  public  acts  exhibited  only  one  side  of  his  character. 
His  affectionateness  was  shown,  like  that  of  Bishop 
Harold  Browne,  in  private  and  family  life ;  the  com- 
bination of  simplicity  and  elevation  of  tone  exemplified 
at   Riseholme  and  Farnham  gave  to  those  who  wit- 
nessed it  a  lesson  on  the  superiority  of  the  system 
which  permits  married  life  to  its  clergy  to  that  which 
forbids  it,  even  when  the  results  of  the  latter  are  not 
conspicuous  for  their  evil.     Bishop  Wordsworth  de- 
termined on  his  resignation  at  the  end  of  1884,  and 
carried  it  out  early  in   1885.     Two  months  later  he 
died,  and  was  buried  at  Riseholme  near  Lincoln. 

My   brother    examining   chaplain    was,   as    I   said, 
E.  W.  Benson,  a  most  pleasant  colleague  to  work  with. 


i876]  ARCHBISHOP  BENSON  249 

We  met  twice  a  year  at  Riseholme  to  conduct  the 
examinations,  and  after  he  had  become  Chancellor  of 
Lincoln  I  occasionally  stayed  with  him  and  Mrs.  Ben- 
son, when  I  preached  at  the  cathedral  in  virtue  of  my 
non-residentiary  canonry.  When  leaving  Lincoln  for 
Truro,  of  which  he  was  appointed  Bishop  in  1876,  he 
wrote  to  me  as  follows : 

1  December  20,  1876. 
'  MY  DEAR  BROTHER, 

*  I  do  trust  that  this  is  a  call,  even  because  it  is 
unwelcome  to  leave  the  Bishop  and  the  students  and 
the  happy,  happy  work,  for  work  to  which  I  do  not 
feel  equal.  Our  brotherly  work  together,  your  con- 
stant genial  and  loving  interest  in  all  that  I  had  in 
hand — though  my  deep  interest  in  your  work  never 
could  culminate  in  any  real  activity  simply  because 
hours  and  hands  were  quite  full — is,  I  assure  you,  a 
sweetness  not  ever  to  be  forgotten.  I  hope  we  shall 
many  a  time  welcome  you  at  Truro.  .  .  .  We  all  are 
praying  for  Cornwall,  and  we  hope  we  may  trust  you 
for  the  like  prayers. 

'  Your  ever  affectionate 

1  E.  W.  BENSON.' 

He  announced  his  appointment  to  the  primacy  to 
me  in  the  following  characteristic  postcard  in  Greek : 
Eu^oi;  uTrep  e/AoO  •  egcaOev  /Lta^at,  eo-wOev  $6f3oi,  (Pray  for 
me.  Without  are  fightings,  within  are  fears),  indi- 
cating the  modesty  and  humility  with  which  he  began 
his  great  archiepiscopate — an  archiepiscopate  made 
great  not  only  by  his  talents,  his  zeal,  his  energy,  his 
enthusiasm,  his  perseverance,  but  by  his  modesty,  his 
humility,  his  courtesy,  his  quiet  good  sense,  and,  above 
all,  his  personal  piety. 

Archbishop  Benson  was  one  of  a  trio,  each  of  whom 
did  good  service  to  the  Church — Westcott,  Lightfoot, 
Benson.  The  ablest  and  most  learned  of  these  was 


250  ARCHBISHOP  BENSON  [1858-91 

Bishop  Lightfoot,  who  was  a  worthy  successor  of  the 
great  Bishop  Butler  in  the  See  of  Durham;  but 
Benson  had  qualities  which  made  him  more  suited 
for  the  office  of  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  than  either 
Lightfoot  or  Westcott.  Benson  had  sympathy  with  all 
parties  within  the  Church,  and  though,  no  doubt,  he 
gave  encouragement  to  the  Ritualist  section  of  the 
clergy  by  the  judgment  that  he  passed  in  the  Arch- 
bishop's Court  in  the  case  of  Bishop  King  of  Lincoln, 
yet,  as  time  passed  and  the  views  of  the  Ritualistic 
party  developed  themselves,  he  grew  more  and  more 
alienated  from  them,  and  he  more  and  more  discouraged 
them.  He  took  a  warm  interest  in  the  Old  Catholic 
Movement  on  the  Continent,  signing  the  address  of 
thanks  to  Dollinger  in  1874,  and  in  1885  presiding 
over  a  public  meeting,  held  in  the  house  of  the  Marquis 
of  Bristol  in  behalf  of  the  Anglo-Continental  Society, 
at  which  he  argued  that  it  was  our  wisdom  and  duty 
to  keep  alive  such  sparks  of  reformation  as  were  to  be 
found  in  the  Continental  Churches,  and  so  to  fan  them 
into  a  flame  that  a  national  movement  might  take  place 
in  them,  as  had  been  the  case  in  England.  Acting,  like 
Archbishop  Tait,  for  the  Lambeth  Conference,  he  gave 
to  the  Bishop  of  Salisbury  (John  Wordsworth)  the 
charge  of  caring  for  the  Italian  Reformed  Communion. 
The  Archbishop's  interest  in  the  welfare  of  foreign 
Christendom  was  also  shown  by  his  Mission  to  the 
Assyrian  Christians,  and  by  the  appointment  of  an 
Anglican  Bishop  at  Jerusalem.  His  last  efforts  were 
given  to  drawing  closer  the  bands  which  unite  the 
English  and  the  Irish  Churches.  He  held  earnest 
communications  with  Archbishop  Plunket  on  the  sub- 
ject, but  before  the  Lambeth  Conference,  for  which 
they  were  preparing,  was  held,  both  the  Archbishops 
had  passed  away. 

Bishop  Lightfoot  first  made  his  mark  as  a  scholar 
and  teacher  in   the    University  of  Cambridge.     His 


i86o-9o]  BISHOP  LIGHTFOOT  251 

reputation  grew  from  the  sermons  that  he  preached 
as  Canon  of  St.  Paul's,  and  when  he  had  become 
Bishop  the  Church  woke  up  to  the  glad  fact  that 
she  had  in  him  a  prelate,  already  one  of  the  first 
theologians  of  his  generation,  and  promising  soon 
to  be  known  as  a  pre-eminently  good  administrator. 
Whether  in  the  sphere  of  criticism,  or  of  ecclesiastical 
history,  or  of  apologetics,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  study  any 
work  which  emanated  from  his  pen.  His  works  are 
written  with  a  perfect  mastery  of  his  subject,  and  we 
see,  as  we  read,  that  he  would  never  have  published 
the  book  until  he  knew  all  that  was  to  be  known  of 
the  matter  with  which  he  dealt.  Hard  as  he  worked 
in  preparing  his  books  and  in  study,  he  was  the 
reverse  of  a  bookworm,  being  sympathetically  alive 
to  all  the  interests  of  his  friends,  his  Church,  and  his 
country.  A  good  deal  of  unasked  compassion  has 
been  wasted  on  him  for  giving  up  his  professorship 
and  accepting  a  bishopric.  I  asked  him  once  if  he 
regretted  the  loss  of  the  greater  opportunities  that  he 
had  had  of  writing  books  of  theology,  and  he  said, 
No ;  the  years  that  he  had  been  a  Bishop  had  been 
the  happiest  years  of  his  life.  Occupation  that  was 
merely  literary  would  not  have  satisfied  him.  As  it 
was,  he  was  brought  more  closely  into  contact  with 
the  hearts  and  souls  of  living  men.  His  ecclesiastical 
interest  was  not  confined  to  his  diocese  or  to  the 
Church  of  England,  but  was  conterminous  with  the 
Church  Catholic ;  and  while  entirely  without  harsh- 
ness, he  was  free  from  the  unwholesome  tenderness 
towards  the  Church  of  Rome  which  ignores  her 
corruptions  and  refuses  to  condemn  her  encroach- 
ments. In  a  sermon  preached  at  the  Wolverhampton 
Congress,  he  showed  that  he  regarded  the  Anglican 
communion  as  the  hope  of  Christendom.  Having 
pointed  out  that  she  retains  the  form  of  Church 
government  which  had  been  handed  down  from 


252  BISHOP  LIGHTFOOT  [1890 

Apostolic  times,  and  had  cast  off  the  accretions  which 
had  gathered  about  the  Apostolic  doctrine  and  prac- 
tice, he  declares  that  the  central  position  which  she 
thus  holds  is  a  vantage-ground  which  fits  her  to  be  a 
mediator  when  and  wheresoever  an  occasion  for 
mediation  may  arise. 

'The  Anglican  communion,'  he  continues,  'now 
comprises  within  her  embrace  Churches  established, 
unestablished,  and  disestablished.  She  has  flourish- 
ing branches  in  every  continent  of  the  globe  ....  Nor 
is  this  all.  With  the  ancient  Churches  of  the  East  our 
relations  are  becoming  every  day  more  intimate.  .  .  . 
What,  then,  shall  we  say  ?  That  catholicity  has  been 
restored  to  the  English  Church  in  a  surprising  way. 
Catholic  indeed  she  was  potentially  before  in  her 
doctrine  and  polity ;  but  now  she  is  Catholic  in  fact, 
Catholic  in  her  interests  and  sympathies,  Catholic  in 
her  responsibilities  and  duties.'  This  position  he 
pronounces  to  be  '  a  true  inspiration  to  ourselves,  and 
an  untold  blessing  to  mankind.' 

His  commentaries  on  some  of  St.  Paul's  Epistles 
and  his  edition  of  the  Apostolic  Fathers  are  posses- 
sions of  permanent  value  to  the  Church. 

A  little  before  his  death  in  1890  Bishop  Lightfoot 
came  to  Bournemouth,  where  I  was  staying  at  the 
time.  I  was  glad  to  be  able  to  pay  him  a  last 
visit ;  I  found  him  feebler,  but  otherwise  quite  un- 
changed. 

In  1869  I  received  a  visit  at  Erpingham  from  Bishop 
Cleveland  Coxe,  of  Western  New  York.  We  had 
corresponded  with  each  other  as  brethren  beloved  in 
the  Lord  for  some  twenty  years,  but  now  we  first  met 
in  the  flesh,  and  henceforth  we  were  more  drawn  to 
each  other  with  an  increased  affection ;  for  his  loving 
disposition  and  transparent  truthfulness,  added  to  his 
great  abilities,  could  not  fail  to  win  the  hearts  of  those 
with  whom  he  associated  and  sympathized.  He  knew 


1850-95]       BISHOP  CLEVELAND  COXE  253 

England  as  scarcely  one  Englishman  knows  it,  and, 
while  an  American  patriot  to  his  heart's  core,  he  loved 
England  as  few  Englishmen  love  it.  He  felt  in  his 
inmost  consciousness  that  England  was  his  own 
country,  whence  he  and  his  compatriots  derived  their 
origin,  and  he  would  not  yield  to  any  Englishman 
his  claim  to  a  share  in  the  glories  of  our  poets,  our 
sovereigns,  our  warriors,  and  our  statesmen.  Above 
all,  he  prized  the  Anglican  Church  as  his  own,  divided 
indeed  into  the  English  and  American  communions 
for  the  last  hundred  years,  but  as  much  American  as 
English  till  that  division,  and  after  that  division  still 
essentially  and  organically  one. 

His  Impressions  of  England  show  his  knowledge  and 
his  love  of  the  old  country.  Indeed,  it  was  a  pleasure 
to  take  a  drive  with  him  through  the  streets  of  London 
or  the  roads  of  rural  England,  and  hear  him  tell  what 
historical  event  each  spot  was  connected  with.  And 
if  the  event  bore  on  the  fortunes  of  the  Church,  his 
eye  would  light  up,  and  it  might  be  seen  that  he  was 
living  past  times  over  again,  as  though  he  himself 
were  acting  or  suffering  as  the  Churchmen  of  the  day 
acted  or  suffered. 

He  lived  for  Christ  and  Christ's  cause.  All  that  he 
said  (and  he  was  an  eloquent  orator),  all  that  he 
wrote  (and  he  was  a  prolific  writer),  all  that  he  did 
(and  he  was  a  man  of  incessant  action),  was  inspired 
by  an  overmastering  desire  of  advancing  Christ's 
kingdom  on  earth.  His  first  striking  poetical  pro- 
duction, Christian  Ballads  (a  copy  of  which  he  gave 
to  my  daughter  Dorothy,  his  godchild),  showed  the 
deepest  devotion  to  Christ's  Church  and  to  the 
Anglican  Prayer-Book.  While  he  was  still  Rector 
of  Grace  Church,  Baltimore,  he  brought  out  Thoughts 
on  the  Services:  designed  as  an  Introduction  to  the  Liturgy 
and  an  Aid  to  its  Devout  Use,  which  passed  through 
several  editions.  Both  these  books  popularized  the 


254  BISHOP  CLEVELAND  COXE      [1869-95 

Church  and  her  services  at  home  and  here.  As 
he  grew  older  he  recognised  two  great  opponents 
to  Catholic  truth — Popery  and  Neologianism — and 
against  both  he  strove  manfully  and  faithfully  to  the 
day  of  his  death,  as  speaker,  writer,  pastor,  prelate, 
his  standing -ground  being  the  same  as  that  of 
Christopher  Wordsworth  or  Dean  Hook  or  Harold 
Browne  among  ourselves.  One  of  his  publications  in 
opposition  to  Popery  was  a  reprint  in  America,  with 
an  introduction  by  himself,  of  three  articles  con- 
tributed by  me  to  the  Christian  Remembrancer,  on 
Roman  Moral  and  Devotional  Theology,  showing  the 
teaching  of  St.  Alfonso  de'  Liguori,  authorized  teacher 
of  the  Church  of  Rome,  on  truthfulness,  theft,  and 
Mariolatry. 

The  book  of  his  issuing  which  had  most  influence 
upon  me  and  upon  many  others  was  his  Sympathies  of 
the  Continent,  which  contained  the  proposals  of  Dean 
Hirscher  for  the  reform  of  the  doctrines  and  discipline 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  as  at  present  existing 
on  the  Continent.  This  book  the  young  American 
presbyter  introduced  to  the  English-speaking  reader, 
not  only  by  a  translation,  but  by  a  warm  commenda- 
tion, in  which  he  pointed  out  how  the  highest  minds 
abroad  were  yearning  for  an  ecclesiastical  system 
similar  to  that  enjoyed  through  God's  mercy  by  the 
Anglican  Church,  while  they  were  still  ignorant  of  its 
actual  existence  in  England  and  America.  This  dis- 
covery which  the  young  clergyman  made  in  his  first 
journey  on  the  Continent  sank  deep  into  his  heart, 
and  affected  the  whole  of  his  after-life  and  work. 
When  the  Anglo-Continental  Society  was  established, 
founded  by  a  brother  clergyman  of  English  Orders 
who  had  a  similar  experience  in  Spain  and  Italy  as 
the  American  presbyter  had  in  Germany,  he  held 
out  both  hands  to  me,  and,  with  Harold  Browne, 
Christopher  Wordsworth,  and  Bishop  Whittingham 


i895]  BISHOP  CLEVELAND  COXE  255 

of  Maryland,  was  one  of  the  mainstays  of  the  society 
until  his  death. 

In  1895  he  preached  a  great  sermon  at  the  Conven- 
tion of  the  American  Church,  held  in  Minneapolis, 
called  '  The  Catholic  Religion  for  the  American 
People,'  which  ended  with  these  words :  '  Thank 
God,  we  look  for  the  Resurrection  of  the  dead  and 
the  life  of  the  world  to  come.'  In  the  next  year  he 
had  departed  this  life. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Old  Catholicism — The  Vatican  Council — The  Bonn  Conference — 
Dr.  v.  Dollinger — Bishop  Reinkens — Bishop  Herzog — Archbishop 
Lycurgus— Arch-Priest  Janyschefif — General  Kire'eff—  A.  J.  B. 
Beresford  Hope. 

IN  1870  the  Vatican  Council  was  held,  at  which  a 
Jesuit  intrigue  brought  about,  by  a  vote  of  370  pre- 
lates, of  whom  276  were  Italian  out  of  a  total  of  601, 
the  declaration  of  the  Infallibility  of  the  Pope,  when 
speaking  ex  cathedra,  or  officially,  on  a  matter  of  faith 
or  morals,  and  a  further  declaration  that  the  Pope  was 
the  Universal  Bishop  of  the  Church.  The  opposition 
to  the  new  dogma  had  been  led  by  the  German 
Bishops,  supported  by  Darboy  of  Paris,  Dupanloup 
of  Orleans,  Strossmayer  of  Diakovar.  After  their 
defeat  in  the  Council,  men  asked  what  these  Bishops 
would  do.  Bound  by  oaths  of  vassalage  to  the  Roman 
Pontiff,  and  unable  to  exercise  their  functions  without 
his  permission  constantly  renewed — fearing,  too,  for 
the  unity  of  the  Church,  which  they  valued  more  than 
adherence  to  the  truth — they  one  and  all  gave  way. 
The  German  Bishops  met  at  Fulda  and  counselled 
submission  ;  but  among  the  presbyters  of  the  German 
Church  there  were  men  of  too  great  learning  to  believe 
the  new  dogma,  and  of  too  great  honesty  to  accept  and 
promulgate  what  they  did  not  believe.  Dr.  v.  Dollinger 
and  thirteen  associates  met  at  Nuremberg  in  August, 
1870,  and  refused  submission  to  the  novel  doctrine, 

256 


i87i]  DR.  V.  DOLLINGER  257 

The  Archbishop  of  Munich  demanded  Bellinger's 
adhesion.  Dollinger  replied  by  an  absolute  refusal, 
publicly  made,  which  brought  upon  him  an  excom- 
munication in  April,  1871.  At  this  time  I  paid  a  visit 
to  Munich,  and  spent  the  greater  part  of  two  days 
with  Dr.  v.  Dollinger.  It  was  a  most  interesting 
visit  to  make  at  such  a  moment.  Dollinger  was  firm 
and  decided  without  the  shadow  of  a  disposition  to 
yield  to  the  Archbishop's  pressure.  '  When  they  tell 
me  to  believe  that  the  Bishop  of  Rome  has  been 
regarded  by  the  Church  as  infallible,  they  might  as 
well  tell  me  to  believe  that  two  and  two  make  five.' 
He  was  still  in  hopes  that  Bishop  Hefele  and  Bishop 
Strossmayer  might  refuse  to  accept  the  Vatican 
dogmas.  Dupanloup  had  not  yet  submitted,  and 
Hungary  had  not  given  the  Regium  P taciturn  to  the 
publication  of  the  Bull,  nor  had  Bavaria,  although  it 
had  been  published  there.  He  gave  me  a  copy  of 
the  Declaration  to  the  Archbishop  of  Munich,  which  he 
had  published,  and  I  left  with  him  some  tracts  relating 
to  the  Anglican  Church.  As  we  parted,  he  said,  with 
a  bright  smile:  *  We  are  walking  in  parallel  paths 
with  scarcely  a  barrier  between  us.'  By  the  action  of 
Dollinger  and  his  thirteen  associates  at  Nuremberg, 
the  Old  Catholic  community  was  formed  as  a  body 
separate  from  Rome,  and  by  Conferences  held  at 
Munich  in  the  autumn  of  1871  and  at  Cologne  in  1872 
a  beginning  was  made  of  its  organization. 

Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  Cologne  Con- 
ference a  meeting  was  held  of  Old  Catholics,  Orientals 
and  Anglicans,  presided  over  by  Professor  von  Schulte, 
to  consider  the  question  of  the  union  of  the  non- 
Vaticanized  Churches.  It  was  determined,  on  the 
President's  proposal,  that  such  union  was  desirable 
and  attainable,  and  that  measures  should  be  taken  to 
realize  it.  As  a  starting-point,  Professor  Michelis 
moved  a  resolution  affirming  the  Divinity  of  Jesus 

17 


258  COLOGNE  COMMITTEES  [1872 

Christ,  and  the  institution  by  Him  of  a  Church  on 
earth,  which  was  unanimously  adopted. 

The  Russian  delegates  proposed  the  acceptance  of 
seven  CEcumenical  Councils ;  Bishop  Harold  Browne 
and  Bishop  Whittingham  declined  to  acknowledge 
more  than  six,  and  the  subject  was  for  the  present 
waived.  All  accepted  the  rule  '  Quod  semper,  quod 
ubique,  quod  ab  omnibus.'  The  outcome  of  this  meet- 
ing was  the  appointment  of  two  Old  Catholic  com- 
mittees, one  to  communicate  with  the  Russian  '  Friends 
of  Spiritual  Enlightenment,'  the  other,  consisting  of 
Dr.  v.  Dollinger,  Dr.  Friedrich,  and  Dr.  Messmer,  to 
communicate  with  Anglicans.  Bishop  Harold  Browne, 
as  President  of  the  Anglo-Continental  Society, 
nominated  a  committee  in  like  manner,  consisting  of 
himself,  Bishop  Christopher  Wordsworth,  Professor 
John  Mayor,  and  myself,  requesting  me  to  carry  on 
the  correspondence  with  Dollinger.  Accordingly,  I 
addressed  to  him  a  series  of  ten  letters,  stating  the 
doctrine  and  position  of  the  Church  of  England,  and 
comparing  the  teaching  of  the  Churches  of  Rome, 
Greece,  and  England  on  certain  points.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  correspondence  I  sent  copies  of  the 
letters  to  Bishop  Harold  Browne,  who  gave  his 
approbation  as  follows  : 

'WINCHESTER  HOUSE, 

'  May  15,  1874. 

'  MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

1 1  have  read  the  correspondence,  and  I  find 
nothing  to  object  to.  I  think  you  have  truly  repre- 
sented the  doctrine,  etc.,  of  the  Church.' 

'June  30,  1874. 
1  MY  DEAR  MEYRICK, 

1 1  return  your  paper  of  contrasts,  or  compari- 
sons. I  think  it  is  very  good. 

'  Most  affectionately  yours, 

'E.  H.  WlNTON.' 


i874]     THE  FIRST  BONN  CONFERENCE       259 

Dollinger  resolved  to  reply  to  the  Anglican  and 
Russian  communications  by  a  viva-voce  Conference, 
and  accordingly  he  summoned  the  first  Conference  of 
Bonn  to  be  held  in  September,  1874.  In  announcing 
to  me  the  Conference,  Dollinger  wrote  : 

'  I  firmly  believe  that  we,  who  claim  to  be  true 
Catholics  and  professors  of  genuine,  unadulterated 
Christianity,  are  obliged  in  conscience  to  make  great 
concessions,  and  to  introduce  gradually  considerable 
modifications  wherever  the  departure  of  the  embryo 
Vatican  Church,  as  you  call  it,  from  the  Ancient  Church 
and  its  principles  is  evident.  You  have  pointed  out 
with  perfect  justice  some  of  the  indispensable  correc- 
tions, and  I  trust  that  by  personal  discussion  we  may 
come  to  an  agreement,  or  at  least  mutual  toleration, 
respecting  several  other  difficult  questions. 
t  Believe  me,  my  dear  Meyrick, 

'  Always  to  be  yours  affectionately 
and  respectfully, 

'  I.  DOLLINGER.' 

In  reply,  after  apologies,  I  wrote : 

'What  I  should  desire  to  see  would  be  something 
of  this  sort : 

1 1.  That  the  attention  of  the  Conference  be  concen- 
trated on  the  teaching  of  the  first  five  (or  six)  cen- 
turies, and  that  no  documents  of  later  date  be  taken 
into  consideration.* 

'2.  That  every  question  on  which  Old  Catholics, 
Orientals,  or  Anglicans,  or  any  two  of  them,  disagree 
be  referred  to  a  committee  of  three — each  question  to 
a  different  committee — one  member  of  the  committee 
to  be  nominated  by  yourself,  one  by  the  Bishop  of 

*  This  and  the  next  paragraph  contain  a  prophetic  anticipation 
of  Dean  Wace's  *  Appeal '  of  1904. 

1 7— 2 


260  BONN  [1874 

Winchester,  one  by  the  Arch-Priest  Janyscheff ;  and 
that  it  be  the  duty  of  each  committee  solely  to  examine 
what  was  the  teaching  of  the  first  five  (or  six)  centuries 
on  the  subject  submitted  to  it,  without  entering  at  all 
into  the  question  of  its  being  right  or  wrong,  true  or 
false. 

*  3.  That  each  one  of  these  committees  report  to  a 
second  Conference  to  be  held  this  time  next  year. 

1 4.  That  the  following  subjects  be,  if  necessary,  com- 
mitted each  to  such  committee,  for  them  to  report  on  : 
'(i)  The  Canon  of  Holy  Scripture. 
'(2)  The  Eternal  Procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

*  (3)  Human  Merit,  including  therein  the  question  of 
Works  of  Supererogation  and  the  Treasury  of  Merits 
applied  by  Indulgences. 

*  (4)  The  Septenary  Number  of  the  Sacraments. 

*  (5)  Transubstantiation. 
'  (6)  Denial  of  the  Cup. 

*  (7)  Form  of  Baptism. 
'  (8)  Clerical  Marriage. 

'(9)  Authority  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome. 

*  (10)  Dead  Language. 
'(11)  Purgatory. 

'(12)  Any  other  question  that  may  arise. 
'  If  something  of  this  sort  be  done,  the  effect  of  the 
Conference  will  not  end  in  this  one  meeting,  but  will 
be   permanent.      You   will    forgive    my   boldness    in 
writing  ?     May  God  bless  you  and  your  work  ! 
1  Yours  most  respectfully  and  affectionately, 

*  F.  MEYRICK.' 

The  Conference  was  held,  and  the  first  six  of  the 
subjects  designated  above,  and  the  tenth,  were  brought 
under  discussion,  together  with  the  questions  of  Justi- 
fication, Tradition,  the  Immaculate  Conception,  Con- 
fession, and  Commemoration  of  the  faithful  departed  ; 
and  on  all  these  points  an  agreement  was  come  to  by 


1875]     THE  SECOND  BONN  CONFERENCE    261 

those  present,  the  Old  Catholics  being  represented  by 
Dollinger,  Reinkens,  etc. ;  Anglicans  by  Bishop  Harold 
Browne,  Bishop  Kerfoot  of  Pittsburg,  etc. ;  Russians 
by  the  Arch-Priest  Janyscheff,  General  Kireeff,  etc. ; 
Greece  by  Professor  Rhossis;  Denmark  by  Provost 
Bloch.  At  the  same  Conference  two  important  decla- 
rations were  made  by  Dollinger — that  he  and  his 
colleagues  did  not  hold  themselves  bound  by  the 
decrees  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  and  that  they  acknow- 
ledged that  Communion  ought  to  be  given  under  both 
kinds.  To  prepare  the  way  for  a  second  Conference, 
a  council  of  five  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Dr.  v. 
Dollinger  (Germany),  Arch-Priest  Janyscheff  (Russia), 
Professor  Rhossis  (Greece),  Dr.  Nevin  (America),  and 
myself  (England). 

In  the  following  year  the  second  Conference  was 
held,  when  there  were  present  eighteen  German  Old 
Catholics,   seven    German   Evangelicals,   twenty-four 
Orientals  (from  Russia,  Greece,  and  Constantinople), 
fifty  English  and  fifteen  American  Churchmen.     The 
chief  subject  under  discussion  was  the  Eternal  Pro- 
cession of  the  Holy  Ghost,  while  the  Validity  of  Angli- 
can Orders,  Purgatory,  Infallibility,  and  the  Papacy 
were  also  brought  under  discussion.     The  subject  of 
the  Procession   being  too  intricate  to  be  dealt  with 
at  the   public  meetings,  a  committee  was  appointed 
consisting  of  Archbishop  Lycurgus  of  Syros,  Arch- 
Priest  Janyscheff,  Professor  Ossinin,  Archimandrite 
Anastasiades,  Archimandrite  (afterwards  Archbishop) 
Bryennios,  Dr.  v.  Dollinger,  Bishop  Reinkens,  Pro- 
fessor Langen,  Canon  Liddon,  Dr.  Nevin,  and  myself; 
Professor  Reusch  and  the  Rev.  G.  E.  Broade  acted  as 
secretaries.    This  committee  made  me  realize  in  a  way 
that  I  had  never  done  before  the  manner  in  which 
business    had    been    conducted    at   the    (Ecumenical 
Councils  of  the  Church.     Nothing  could  exceed  the 
gravity,  the  earnestness,  the  suavity,  the  good-temper, 


262  BONN  [1875 

with  which  each  point  was  contested  by  the  representa- 
tives of  East  and  West.  After  many  schemes  had  been 
proposed  and  abandoned,  a  unanimous  agreement  was 
at  length  come  to  on  seven  propositions  extracted  by 
Dollinger  from  the  writings  of  St.  John  Damascene, 
The  authority  of  St.  John  Damascene  was  sufficient  to 
make  these  propositions  acceptable  to,  and  accepted  by, 
the  members  of  the  Oriental  Church.  They  were 
accepted  by  the  Old  Catholics,  and  they  were  declared 
by  a  committee  of  the  Convocation  of  Canterbury,  to 
which  they  were  referred  for  examination,  to  be 
orthodox. 

Thus  then  an  agreement  was  arrived  at  on  this 
grave  doctrine  by  Eastern  and  Western  theologians 
for  the  first  time  since  the  Eastern  Church,  in  the  time 
of  Photius,  charged  the  Westerns  with  heresy  for 
introducing  the  Filioque  into  the  Creed. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  above  committee,  an 
occurrence  took  place,  light  enough  in  itself,  but 
perhaps  not  without  significance.  While  the  members 
were  assembling,  I  was  sitting  near  the  window  on  a 
small  chair,  when  Dollinger  came  to  talk  to  me.  As 
he  insisted  on  my  continuing  to  sit,  I  made  room  for 
him  on  my  chair,  and,  that  we  might  not  fall,  we 
passed  our  arms  round  each  other's  waists.  While 
we  were  in  this  position,  with  our  heads  very  close 
together,  the  door  opened  and  Bishop  Reinkens 
entered.  The  Bishop,  who  had  a  great  deal  of  quiet 
humour,  drew  himself  up  (he  was  a  man  of  consider- 
able presence),  and  exclaimed :  '  See  a  symbol  of  the 
unity  of  the  Churches.  Oh  that  we  had  a  photo- 
grapher to  show  to  Christendom  the  type  of  our 
accomplished  work  !'  '  Accipio  omen '  were  the  words 
which  naturally  suggested  themselves  as  we  rose  and 
greeted  him  in  return. 

The  members  of  the  committee  and  of  the  Con- 
ference carried  back  with  them  the  resolutions  that 


1875]  THE  BONN  PROPOSITIONS  263 

had  been  come  to,  with  the  view  of  obtaining  for  them 
the  sanction  of  the  Churches  to  which  they  belonged, 
and  all  hoped  to  meet  again  the  following  year  for 
further  counsel.  Approval  of  the  resolutions  was 
expressed  in  the  House  of  Bishops  of  the  Convoca- 
tion of  Canterbury,  and  a  Committee  of  the  Lower 
House  of  Convocation  reported  that  they  found  in 
them  'nothing  contradictory  to  the  formularies  of  the 
Church  of  England,  or  contrariant  to  sound  doctrine, 
or  that  may  not  be  held  with  a  safe  conscience.' 

But  Dr.  Pusey,  who  had  been  occupying  himself 
for  ten  years  in  an  attempt,  predestined  to  failure,  to 
bring  about  a  union  by  inducing  the  Roman  Church 
to  withdraw  its  more  extravagant  tenets  and  practices, 
could  not  bear  the  proposal,  which  had  been  made  at 
Bonn,  for  the  omission  of  the  Filioque  interpolated  in 
the  creed  of  Constantinople,  because  that  would  be 
likely  to  widen  the  chasm  between  the  Anglican  and 
Roman  Churches,  and  the  Roman  Church  contained 
Dr.  Newman.  He  therefore  set  himself  in  violent 
opposition  to  the  proposals  of  the  Bonn  Conferences, 
and  in  consequence  of  his  strongly  expressed  views 
the  report  of  the  Committee  of  Convocation  was  not 
presented  to  the  House.  I  ventured  in  vain  to  oppose 
his  arguments  in  a  series  of  letters  published,  with 
his  own,  in  the  Times.  But  it  was  impossible  for 
Dollinger  to  continue  his  work  of  reconciliation  with- 
out the  authorized  approval  both  of  the  Church  of 
England  and  of  the  Oriental  Church.  And  in  the 
East,  too,  hesitation  was  shown.  The  Orientals 
could  hardly  believe  that  any  way  of  agreement  on 
the  question  of  the  Procession  between  themselves 
and  the  Western  Churches  could  be  found  except 
by  the  Westerns  entirely  abandoning  the  Western 
formula  for  the  Eastern.  And,  further,  there  was 
a  natural  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the  Orientals  to 
touch  a  doctrine  which  had  long  served  as  a  safe- 


264  LUCERNE  [1892 

guard  to  themselves  against  the  aggressions  of  Rome. 
Consequently,  Dollinger  did  not  receive  the  support 
which  was  necessary  for  his  success  either  from 
England,  or  St.  Petersburg,  or  Constantinople.  In 
spite  of  his  great  age  he  must  wait.  And  then 
followed  political  misunderstandings  between  England 
and  Russia  which  would  make  the  joint  consideration 
of  delicate  subjects  by  the  members  of  each  country, 
it  was  thought,  for  the  time  difficult. 

When  once  the  Conference  was  broken  off,  its  time  for 
reassembling  did  not  arrive  during  Dollinger's  lifetime. 
His  removal  from  the  scene,  and  the  closer  relations 
entered  into  by  the  Old  Catholics  with  the  Dutch 
Jansenist  Church,  and  a  consequent  alienation  from 
the  Anglican  Churches,  made  the  advantage  of  the 
reassembling  less  evident.  Nothing  was  done  till  the 
year  1892,  when  an  International  Congress  of  Old 
Catholics  was  held  at  Lucerne,  which  seemed  to  be 
in  some  respects  a  ghost  of  the  Bonn  Conferences, 
where  Old  Catholics,  Orientals,  and  Anglicans  once 
more  interchanged  their  views  and  sympathies.  No 
practical  results  followed  from  it  except  the  establish- 
ment of  an  International  Theological  Review  (German, 
French,  and  English),  conducted  by  Dr.  Michaud,  an 
able  and  learned  editor,  once  curate  of  the  Madeleine, 
Paris,  now  Old  Catholic  Professor  at  Berne. 

The  great  man  who  presided  over  the  Bonn  Con- 
ference was  born  in  1799,  and  till  1863  was  counted 
as  a  supporter  of  the  Papal  constitution  of  the  Church. 
In  that  year  a  conference  was  held  in  which  Ultra- 
montanism  succeeded  in  determining  that  German 
learning  was  to  be  subjected  to  the  authority  of  the 
Italian  Curia.  Dollinger  held  his  peace;  he  was 
silent,  too,  when  the  dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception was  declared,  and  wrhen  the  Syllabus  of  1864 
was  promulgated.  But  these  things  led  to  his  being 
less  unwilling  to  take  up  the  position  forced  upon 


1870-74]  DR.  V.  DOLLINGER  265 

him  by  the  Vatican  Council  of  1870.  At  that  Council 
Dbllinger  acted  in  the  capacity  of  theologian  for  one 
of  the  German  Bishops,  but  when  the  majority  of  the 
Council — a  majority  mainly  made  up  of  unlettered 
Italian  Bishops — pronounced  in  favour  of  the  Papal 
Infallibility,  the  minority  submitted  through  fear  of 
creating  a  schism.  The  Archbishop  of  Munich  called 
the  German  theological  Professors  to  him  and  pro- 
posed that  they  should  give  way  as  he  had  done 
himself.  '  Whatever  our  personal  belief  may  be,  we 
must,'  he  said,  *  submit,  for  Rome  has  spoken.  Ought 
we  not  to  begin  to  labour  afresh  for  the  Holy  Church  ?' 
1  Yes,'  replied  Dollinger,  <  for  the  old  Church.'  <  There 
can  be  no  new  Church,'  said  the  Archbishop.  '  But 
they  have  made  one,'  replied  Dollinger  dryly. 

After  six  months'  delay  the  Archbishop  demanded 
the  submission  of  Dollinger  and  Friedrich.  Dollinger 
replied  by  his  '  Declaration  to  the  Archbishop  of 
Munich,'  in  which  he  uncompromisingly  refused  to 
accept  the  new  dogma  as  a  Christian,  as  a  theologian, 
as  an  historian,  and  as  a  citizen.  The  following 
month  (April,  1871)  the  Archbishop  excommunicated 
him  and  Friedrich.  Dollinger  desisted  from  the  exer- 
cise of  his  priestly  functions,  but  maintained  his 
theological  position  with  the  greatest  firmness.  In 
the  autumn  of  the  same  year  the  first  Old  Catholic 
Congress  was  held,  at  Munich ;  in  the  following  year 
the  second  was  held,  at  Cologne.  After  this  Dollinger 
threw  himself  especially  into  the  work  of  organizing 
non-Vaticanized  Episcopal  Churchmen  in  opposition 
to  the  Papacy,  and  with  this  end  held  the  two  Con- 
ferences of  Bonn.  At  these  Conferences  Dollinger 
showed  extraordinary  powers  both  of  body  and  mind. 
At  the  first  of  them  the  correspondent  of  the  Times, 
though  not  in  sympathy  writh  the  objects  of  the 
meeting,  was  moved  to  say  : 

'  When  the  noble,  benignant-looking  old  man  stood 


266 


DR.  V.  DOLLINGER 


[1875 


listening  to  the  long,  hesitating  objections  of  many 
present  with  admirable  patience  and  temper,  he  per- 
fectly realized  what  I  imagine  to  have  been  the  appear- 
ance of  those  who,  in  the  old  times  of  the  Church,  were 
ready  to  suffer  death  and  persecution  in  defence  of 
what  they  believed  to  be  the  truth.' 

At  the  second  Conference,  for  four  days  he  stood 
almost  continuously  in  front  of  the  assembled  body  of 
divines,  taking  up  and  replying  to  every  speech  as 
soon  as  it  was  made,  in  German  or  in  English,  and 
sometimes  addressing  the  Conference  continuously  for 
hours ;  in  the  committee  he  proposed,  refuted,  argued, 
receiving  on  his  shield  weapons  from  all  sides,  and 
returning  them  with  irresistible  force,  allowing  himself 
no  break  or  interval  except  such  as  was  sufficient  for 
a  plunge  each  day  in  the  Rhine.  And  at  the  end  of 
those  four  days  he  stood  up  as  if  he  had  been  a  man 
of  thirty-eight  instead  of  seventy-six,  and  delivered  a 
speech  of  five  hours'  length  on  the  disastrous  effects 
that  had  been  wrought  on  Western  Christendom  by 
the  Papacy,  passing  in  review,  one  after  another,  Ger- 
many, France,  Spain,  Italy,  South  America,  Austria, 
and  handling  the  affairs  of  each  country  with  a  fulness 
and  exactness  which  would  have  been  remarkable  if 
he  had  confined  himself  to  the  history  of  a  single 
nation ;  and  throughout  the  five  hours  he  riveted  by 
his  voice  and  action  the  attention  of  everyone  present, 
and  retained  their  interest  hour  after  hour,  though 
addressing  them  in  a  language  which  to  many  was  so 
unfamiliar  that  his  meaning  was  only  doubtfully 
guessed.  Archbishop  Plunket,  recalling  the  scene, 
spoke  at  the  Plymouth  Church  Congress  with  enthu- 
siasm of  *  "  that  old  man  eloquent,"  with  keen  and 
playful  smile  and  busy  brain,  still  all  aglow  with  the 
quenchless  fire  of  youth.' 

According  to  a  common  practice  of  Roman  Catholic 
controversialists,  it  was  reported  that  Dollinger  de- 


i875-9o]  DR.  V.  DOLLINGER  267 

sired  in  his  lifetime,  and  accomplished  just  before  his 
death,  a  reconciliation  with  the  Church  of  Rome.  The 
report  in  both  its  forms  was  absolutely  false.  First 
it  was  said  that  he  showed  his  submission  by  ceasing 
to  say  Mass  on  his  excommunication.  But  Dollinger 
was  always  rather  a  Professor  than  a  priest,  and  it  was 
no  pain  to  him  to  abstain  from  saying  Mass  himself, 
which  he  could  and  did  attend  when  said  by  one  of 
his  Old  Catholic  colleagues.  Again,  it  was  said  that 
he  objected  to  the  abolition  of  celibacy,  and  therefore 
separated  himself  from  the  Old  Catholics.  He  may 
have  thought  it  better  policy  to  wait  for  a  time,  in 
order  not  to  give  occasion  for  the  slander  with  which 
Vaticanists  pursue  reformers.  But  after  the  decision 
had  been  come  to,  he  associated  himself  with  Bishop 
Reinkens,  in  the  most  intimate  way  possible,  as  his 
colleague  in  holding  the  two  Bonn  Conferences,  and 
at  those  Conferences  he  publicly  declared  that  he  spoke 
for  his  Old  Catholic  associates. 

The  report  still  continuing,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Nevin,  Rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Rome,  in  which  he 
said  that  he  desired  Dr.  Nevin  to  make  known  his  con- 
tradiction to  the  lies  that  had  been  spread  over  Europe 
respecting  his  contemplated  or  consummated  sub- 
mission, as  he  had  neither  written  nor  done  anything 
which  could  have  given  occasion  to  such  rumours, 
which  were  nothing  else  but  gratuitous  inventions. 
In  another  letter,  addressed  to  an  Old  Catholic  clergy- 
man, he  declared  definitely  :  '  As  far  as  I  am  concerned, 
I  consider  myself  to  belong  by  conviction  to  the  Old 
Catholic  Communion.'  As  soon  as  he  died,  Mr.  H.  N. 
Oxenham  boldly  declared  that  he  was  reconciled  on 
his  death-bed  to  the  Roman  communion.  To  refute 
this  statement,  I  wrote  to  Professor  Friedrich,  who 
had  attended  him  during  his  last  sickness.  He  replied, 
denying  the  charge  in  toto,  in  a  letter  which  I  sent 
to  the  Guardian  newspaper : 


268  DR.  V.  DOLLINGER  [1890 

'  For  a  long  time,'  said  the  Professor,  *  they 
played  Dollinger  off  against  the  Old  Catholics  as 
though  he  had  separated  himself  from  them.  The 
truth  is  exactly  the  reverse.  Dollinger,  as  I  pointed 
out  in  my  notice  on  him  in  the  Allgemeine  Zeittnig, 
was,  and  continued  till  his  death,  an  Old  Catholic ; 
and,  above  all  things,  he  would  have  nothing  to  do 
with  the  Church  of  Rome.  His  successor  in  the 
provostship  said  to  me  and  a  colleague  of  mine  in  his 
study  on  the  day  of  his  death,  "  So  long  as  Dollinger 
was  conscious,  he  thrust  back  every  Roman  Catholic 
priest.'"  When  he  had  become  unconscious,  Extreme 
Unction  was  administered  to  him,  and  Professor 
Friedrich  did  not  prohibit  it.  The  Professor  ends 
his  letter :  '  Roman  Catholics  will  never  allow  them- 
selves to  be  convinced,  and  will  always  repeat  their 
false  statements  as  soon  as  they  are  refuted. — Yours 
sincerely,  J.  FRIEDRICH  (April  24,  1890).' 

The  conversions  of  Dr.  Newman  and  Dr.  v.  Dollinger 
to  and  from  the  Church  of  Rome  have  been  made  a 
subject  of  comparison.  If  Newman  slew  his  hundreds, 
Dollinger  slew  his  thousands ;  the  Old  Catholics, 
whom  he  organized,  number  now  from  180,000  to 
200,000. 

When  it  became  certain  that  the  protest  against  the 
Vatican  innovations  on  the  faith  would  not  be  joined 
in  by  Dupanloup,  or  Hefele,  or  Strossmayer,  or  any  of 
the  Bishops  who  formed  the  minority  in  the  Council, 
the  Old  Catholic  body  determined  to  organize  itself 
under  its  own  Bishops.  The  first  Bishop  elected  was 
Professor  Joseph  Hubert  Reinkens.  His  Nolo  episco- 
pari  was  very  hard  to  overcome,  but  at  length  he  was 
persuaded,  and  his  election  took  place  on  June  n, 
1873,  at  Cologne.  It  was  agreed  on  all  hands  that 
the  best  selection  that  was  possible  was  made,  for 
Dr.  Reinkens  united  spiritual  gifts  with  intellectual 
power — the  Barnabas  of  the  band,  as  some  called  him 


1873-96]  BISHOP  REINKENS  269 

— and  under  his  guidance  the  movement  escaped  the 
danger,  to  which  German  movements  are  liable,  of 
becoming  a  speculation  rather  than  a  faith. 

It  was  important  that  his  consecration  should  be 
performed  by  a  Bishop  whose  authority  the  Roman 
Curia  could  not  question  on  the  score  of  the  Succes- 
sion. There  was  at  hand  a  means  of  fulfilling  this  con- 
dition. When  Madame  de  Maintenon  and  Louis  XIV. 
persecuted  the  Port  Royalists  out  of  France,  Jansenism 
made  its  home  in  the  Church  of  Holland,  which  be- 
came so  permeated  with  its  spirit  that  a  schism  ensued 
between  the  Dutch  and  the  Roman  Churches.  The 
Dutch  retained  all  the  Papal  doctrines  with  the 
exception  of  the  Supremacy,  and  continued  to  use  the 
Roman  liturgical  books.  Incurring  excommunica- 
tion by  the  Pope,  the  Dutch  Church,  with  its  three 
Bishops,  found  itself  in  a  state  of  isolation,  and 
welcomed,  though  with  some  hesitation,  the  anti- 
Papal  Old  Catholic  Movement.  Archbishop  Van 
Loos  of  Utrecht  made  a  Confirmation  tour  for  the 
German  Old  Catholics,  and  readily  promised  to  con- 
secrate a  Bishop  for  them.  But  the  Archbishop  died 
before  the  consecration  could  be  effected,  and  Professor 
Reinkens  was  therefore  consecrated  by  Dr.  Heykamp, 
Bishop  of  Deventer,  at  Rotterdam  on  August  11,  1873. 
Thus  the  validity  of  the  Old  Catholic  Episcopate,  as 
transmitted  by  the  Church  of  Holland,  could  not  be 
disputed  by  Roman  adversaries. 

Bishop  Reinkens  presided  at  the  annual  Synods  of 
the  German  Old  Catholics,  and  took  a  leading  part  in 
their  Congresses,  until  he  died  in  the  year  1896.  In 
the  year  1881  he  came  to  England  with  Bishop  Herzog 
for  a  meeting  and  religious  services,  organized  by  the 
Anglo-Continental  Society.  The  meeting,  which  took 
place  at  Cambridge,  was  addressed  by  the  two  Bishops, 
and  also  by  Bishop  Harold  Browne,  Bishop  Maclagan, 
and  Bishop  Woodford,  as  well  as  by  Dr.  Perowne,  Vice- 


270  BISHOP  HERZOG  [1871-75 

Chancellor  of  the  University,  Mr.  Beresford  Hope, 
M.P.  for  Cambridge,  and  Mr.  J.  G.  Talbot,  M.P.  for 
Oxford.  On  the  following  Sunday  the  two  Bishops 
received  the  Holy  Communion,  together  with  their 
Anglican  brethren,  in  one  of  the  churches  in  Cambridge, 
and  sermons  were  preached  by  Bishop  Harold  Browne, 
Chancellor  Lias,  and  myself.  From  Cambridge  they 
went  on  a  visit  to  Archbishop  Tait  at  Addington,  to 
Bishop  Christopher  Wordsworth  at  Riseholme,  and 
to  Bishop  Harold  Browne  at  Farnham,  where  they 
received  the  Holy  Communion  in  the  Bishop's  chapel. 
After  this  they  attended  a  meeting  of  the  committee 
of  the  Anglo-Continental  Society,  and  a  conversazione 
organized  by  it  in  London,  and  were  shown  over 
Lambeth  Palace  by  the  present  Archbishop,  Dr. 
Davidson.  Bishop  Reinkens  was  succeeded  by 
Bishop  Weber. 

At  the  second  Bonn  Conference  the  representatives 
of  America  who  were  present  invited  the  chief  members 
of  the  Conference  to  a  final  banquet  before  separating 
for  their  several  countries.  At  this  banquet  I  was 
sitting  betwreen  Archbishop  Lycurgus  and  Dr.  Herzog. 
Dr.  Herzog  was  not  at  that  time  Bishop  of  the  Swiss 
Old  Catholics,  but  it  was  known  that  he  was  likely  to 
be  elected.  In  1871  he  had  refused  to  accept  the 
Vatican  decrees,  being  then  Professor  of  Exegesis  in 
the  Theological  Seminary  of  Lucerne.  In  1872  he 
attended  the  Old  Catholic  Congress  at  Cologne,  and 
resigned  his  professorship,  being  shortly  afterwards 
elected  Pfarrer  of  Olten.  In  1875,  at  a  Synod  repre- 
senting 66  priests  and  73,000  laymen,  Bishop  Herzog 
was  elected  first  Bishop  of  the  Christian  Catholic 
Church  of  Switzerland,  and  he  was  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Reinkens  on  September  28  of  the  same  year, 
on  which  he  was  excommunicated  by  the  Romish 
Bishops  of  Switzerland  and  by  the  Pope.  Having 
made  a  vigorous  reply  to  his  excommunications,  he 


1875-1905]  BISHOP  HERZOG  271 

took  up  his  residence  at  Berne,  where  I  shortly  after- 
wards spent  a  Sunday  with  hin,  attending  his  church. 

Personally,  Bishop  Herzog  was  disposed  to  culti- 
vate the  most  friendly  relations  with  the  Anglican 
Churches.  Twice  he  attended  the  Conferences  called 
by  Bishop  Harold  Browne  at  Farnham  Castle  for  the 
purpose  of  considering  the  relation  of  the  Anglican 
to  foreign  Churches,  besides  accompanying  Bishop 
Reinkens  when  the  two  Bishops  visited  Cambridge. 
He  also  paid  an  official  visit  to  the  American  Church, 
which  led  to  an  important  declaration  on  intercom- 
munion by  the  American  Bishops.  At  a  Synod  held 
at  Soleure  by  Bishop  Herzog,  a  resolution  was  passed 
stating  that  in  essential  things  the  Old  Catholics  of 
Switzerland  stood  on  the  same  Christian  and  Catholic 
ground  as  the  Anglo-American  Church,  and  in  a 
Pastoral  on  Communion  with  the  Anglo-American 
Church  the  Bishop  recounted  the  acts  of  Communion 
that  had  taken  place  between  the  two  Churches,  and 
defended  the  position  of  the  Anglican  Church  both 
in  her  Catholic  and  Anglican  aspects. 

But  after  the  coalition  with  the  Dutch  Jansenist 
Bishops,  the  Old  Catholic  prelates  became  much 
hampered.  In  1889  a  joint  declaration  of  doctrine 
was  made  by  the  five  Bishops,  and  this  was  accom- 
panied by  an  understanding  that  neither  the  Dutch 
nor  the  German  and  Swiss  Bishops  should  enter 
into  any  relations  or  negotiations  with  other  Churches 
except  by  joint  consent.  This  necessarily  alienated 
the  German  and  Swiss  Old  Catholics  from  the  Anglican 
communion  ;  for  the  Dutch  were  still  Roman  Catholics 
in  all  but  one  point,  and  they  denied  the  validity  of 
Anglican  Orders  on  the  same  ground  as  that  taken 
by  Romanists.  Accordingly,  when  Bishop  Herzog 
was  invited  by  the  committee  of  the  Norwich  Church 
Congress  to  read  a  paper  at  the  meeting,  he  accepted 
the  invitation,  and  spent  the  day  with  me  in  Norwich, 


272  ARCHBISHOP  LYCURGUS  fi87o 

and  made  a  valuable  address  on  the  subject  of 
National  Churches ;  but  he  could  not  take  part  in 
any  ecclesiastical  functions,  owing  to  the  agreement  of 
1889,  and  he  left  England  without  further  intercourse 
with  English  Churchmen.  After  their  union  with  the 
Dutch  Jansenists,  the  Old  Catholics  looked  rather  to 
the  Orientals  than  to  the  Anglicans  as  allies.  Bishop 
Herzog  outlived  Bishop  Reinkens,  and  continues  to 
reside  at  Berne,  highly  respected  by  all  his  country- 
men. 

The  chief  ecclesiastic  of  the  Oriental  Church  present 
at  Bonn  was  Alexander  Lycurgus,  Archbishop  of 
Syros  and  Tenos.  With  him  I  had  contracted  a 
previous  friendship  when  he  came  to  England  in  1870 
for  the  purpose  of  consecrating  a  church  at  Liverpool. 
After  paying  a  visit  to  Mr.  Gladstone  at  Hawarden, 
and  to  Archbishop  Thomson  at  York,  he  proceeded 
to  Lincoln,  where  he  was  welcomed  by  Bishop 
Christopher  Wordsworth,  who  was  able  to  discourse 
with  him  in  modern  Greek.  During  his  visit,  the  first 
Suffragan  Bishop  of  the  present  generation  (Mackenzie) 
was  consecrated  at  Nottingham  by  Bishop  Words- 
worth, Bishop  Jackson,  and  Bishop  Selwyn.  Arch- 
bishop Lycurgus,  accompanied  by  an  Archimandrite  and 
a  deacon,  attended  the  consecration,  and  stood  through- 
out the  service,  including  the  administration  of  the  Holy 
Communion,  within  the  rails  of  the  chancel,  Chancellor 
(Archbishop)  Benson  and  myself,  as  Bishop  Words- 
worth's chaplains,  standing  next  to  him.  Archbishop 
Lycurgus  was  much  impressed  by  the  service,  and  at 
its  conclusion  threw  his  arms  round  the  neck  of  the 
newly-consecrated  Bishop  and  gave  him  the  kiss  of 
peace,  exclaiming :  1 1  trust  that  thou  wilt  be  able  to 
give  a  good  account  of  thy  stewardship  this  day  en- 
trusted to  thee.'  From  Nottingham  and  Lincoln  the 
Archbishop  and  his  suite,  accompanied  by  Rev.  George 
Williams  and  myself,  proceeded  to  Peterborough, 


i87o]  ARCHBISHOP  LYCURGUS  273 

where  they  had  an  interview  with  Bishop  Magee, 
and  attended  the  cathedral  service,  during  which  the 
verger  asked  the  Dean  whether  he  was  to  order  the 
strange  gentlemen  to  take  off  their  hats,  the  tall 
Oriental  hat  being  part  of  the  dress  of  the  higher 
ecclesiastic  in  the  East,  without  which  they  never 
appear.  From  Peterborough  the  party  went  on  to 
Ely,  and  there  a  Conference  took  place  between  the 
Archbishop,  attended  by  two  members  of  the  Oriental 
Church,  and  Bishop  Harold  Browne,  attended  by 
Mr.  George  Williams  and  myself.  A  report  of  this 
Conference  was  afterwards  published  by  the  Anglo- 
Continental  Society  in  English  and  in  modern  Greek. 

A  little  later  the  Archbishop  paid  a  visit  to  the  two 
Universities,  to  the  Queen  at  Windsor,  to  the  Marquis 
of  Salisbury,  the  Earl  of  Glasgow,  Mr.  Beresford  Hope, 
the  Bishop  of  London,  and  (for  a  few  hours)  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  (Tait),  who  was  at  the  time 
suffering  from  illness,  after  which  the  Greek  Prelate 
left  England  for  Constantinople. 

Writing  to  his  sister,  Archbishop  Lycurgus  said  : 
4  On  sailing  from  England,  I  raised  my  arms  to  heaven 
and  blessed  the  land,  praying  from  my  heart  that  it  may 
ever  be  covered  by  the  all-powerful  right  hand  of  the 
Lord.'  And  a  long  letter  to  me  ended  as  follows :  *  I 
remember  with  the  liveliest  love  and  heartfelt  affection 
your  great  and  happy  country,  and  I  keep  in  my  mind 
and  in  my  heart  the  places  through  which  I  passed, 
and  the  friends  by  whom  I  was  received  with  a 
magnificent  hospitality.  I  assure  you  from  that  time 
there  has  grown  up  on  our  side,  too,  a  lively  affection 
for  your  Christ-loving  nation,  and  the  greatest  desire 
for  an  increase  of  brotherly  relationship  towards  your 
Church,  which  is  so  attached  to  orthodoxy  and  anti- 
quity. May  the  Lord  fulfil  the  prayers  offered  up  by 
you  and  by  us  in  the  way  which  He  knows  to  be 
best !' 

18 


274  ARCHBISHOP  LYCURGUS        [1874-75 

On  the  Archbishop's  arrival  at  Bonn,  I  accompanied 
the  Bishop  of  Gibraltar  on  the  visit  of  ceremony 
which  is  always  paid  in  such  cases  in  the  East.  He 
received  me  with  warm  tokens  of  welcome,  but  I 
grieved  to  see  how  much  his  powerful  and  upright 
form  had  been  bowed  by  illness  ;  he  had  suffered  for 
many  months  from  an  attack  of  pneumonia,  and  this 
was  his  last  effort  for  the  peace  of  the  Church  Catholic. 
He  returned  home  to  die,  his  last  word  being 
TereXeo-rat  (It  is  finished).  He  died  on  October  17, 
1875,  and  was  buried  in  the  island  of  Syros.  The 
following  is  part  of  a  letter  written  to  me  by  the 
Archbishop  from  Syros  on  January  25,  1874  : 


eKOfJLLcrdfJiTjv  TO  oVo  25  Noe/A/?/otou  ayaTTTjTov  ypdfjLfj,a 
AiSecrt/zor^TOSj  KOI  86£av  aveTreju^a  TW  SWTTJ/H  TWV 
Oew  TO.  rrj<s  TrepnroOrjTov  pot  vytetas  AVT^S  7ro\vevKra  cucria 
IIoA.vs  yap  77877  XP°VO$  «n"tv,  ef  orov  </>t'Aos  rts, 
€\6uv,  dTTTjyyetXe  /AOI  on  ov  irdvv  vytws  c^cv  77  ^1X77  JJLOI 
KOpv<j>r).  Kat  JjXyrjO'a  (//,a/>ri>s  6  Ki'ptos  /)  fJLtarrjV  KapSiav, 
aicruaTepov  n  IKTOTC  irepi  AVTTJS  eirtTroOovv  fMaBeiv  a>s  877  Trepl 
Xiav  dyairrjTOVj  ov  tfyvtov  <TO<f>i(£  re  Kat  apery  /cat  Otocrtfifia 
}  Kal  oi'Tti'OS  77  fjiv^fjirj  forjpd  ecrrtv  aetTrore  €V  e/zot,  a>? 
877  KaKeivrj  irepl  T^S  €V  T>7  €7TL(TTO\y  ava^epet,  77  lv  dyaTry  d8eX.<f)iKy 
crvvS6aA.€£is  /xera  TOV  (re/Saa/xiWTaTOv  €7ricr/co7rov  TOU  Kly,  TOV  Atai/ 
^jtot  dyaTrrjTOv  Kal  TT€.pnro6r^TOV  kv  X/3«rTO)  d8€\<f>ov,  T^S  OTJ  JJLOVOV 
aTrXovs  Tts  a*cpoaT77s,  aAAa  877  Kat  crvyKoti/wvos  77  v^rkpa.  dydirrj 
eyevero.  'ETretST)  8e  8ta  TOU  y/sa/x/xaros  Kat  ras  fJiaprvpias  d^tovre  ue 
Karaypdifsai  &v  1^  aAAcoi/  re  e/u,i>77//,ov€vtra  Tore  TWV  0€ia)v  Trare/otuv  Kat 
IK  TOU  lepoO  Xpvcroo'TO/zov  7T€/3t  TT^s  eTTtKAT^o-ctus  TWV  ayticov,  irpo6vfjL(i)<s 
TT)V  d£i(D(rtv  TJ/XCOV  eKirXypU).  'E^atrov/xat  8e  Trapa  TT^S  v/xcrepas 
ayaTTTjs  <rvyyv(afir)v  OTL  evcKa  TWV  eo/arwi/  Kai  aAAwv  <j>povTi8(»v  et? 
Seupo  dvZfiaXov  TT}I/ 


The  Russian  Society  of  the  Friends  of  Spiritual 
Enlightenment  was  represented  at  Bonn  by  the  Arch- 
Priest  Janyscheff,  Professor  Ossinin  (who  died  shortly 
afterwards),  and  General  Kireeff.  What  struck  one 


1875-92]      ARCH-PRIEST  JANYSCHEFF  275 

most  about  them  at  first  was  the  astonishing  power 
that  they  displayed  of  speaking,  both  in  public  and 
private,  in  German,  French,  English,  and  Russian,  all 
which  languages  they  spoke  as  natives.  They  also 
showed  a  surprising  acquaintance  with  theology  and 
ecclesiastical  history,  proving  themselves  capable  of 
arguing  even  with  Dollinger.  Arch-Priest  Janyscheff 
was,  and  is,  the  head  of  the  Theological  College  of 
St.  Petersburg,  and  Confessor  to  the  Tzar  and  the 
Imperial  Family.  He  showed  the  utmost  tolerance 
and  sympathy  both  for  the  Old  Catholics,  with  whom 
he  has  always  striven  to  bring  about  intercommunion, 
and  also  for  the  Anglicans,  whom  he  met  at  the  Con- 
ference. Indeed,  when  I  met  him  again  at  Lucerne, 
at  an  International  Congress  in  1892,  he  threw  his 
arms  round  my  neck  and  kissed  me  on  both  cheeks  as 
a  brother  in  Christ.  I  believe  that  the  fact — if  it  be  a 
fact — of  the  present  Tzaritza  not  being  required,  when 
joining  the  Oriental  Church,  to  condemn  and  denounce 
the  Church  which  she  left,  was  owing  to  the  broad- 
minded  tolerance  of  Arch-Priest  Janyscheff,  whose 
office  it  was  to  admit  her.  That  tolerance  was  prob- 
ably strengthened  by  the  relations  entered  into  by 
the  Arch-Priest  with  the  old  Catholics  and  Anglicans 
at  the  Conferences  and  Congresses  which  he  has 
attended. 

General  Kireeff,  Secretary  to  the  Society  of  the 
Friends  of  Spiritual  Enlightenment  at  St.  Petersburg, 
and  Aide-de-Camp  to  the  Grand-Duke  Constantine, 
is  a  singular  instance  of  a  layman  and  a  soldier 
equally  well  instructed  in  theology  with  any  ecclesi- 
astic. He  has  shown  himself  deeply  interested  in 
the  cause  of  the  Old  Catholics,  with  whom  he  has 
desired  to  see  the  Eastern  Church  enter  into  com- 
munion. At  the  same  time  he  was  much  attracted  by 
the  Anglican  Church.  For  many  years  a  correspon- 
dence was  kept  up  between  him  and  myself,  as  repre- 

18— 2 


2;6  GENERAL  KIRfiEFF  [1875-1900 

senting  the  Anglo-Continental  Society,  on  matters  of 
issue  between  the  two  Churches ;  and  being  in  London 
at  the  time  of  the  last  Lambeth  Conference,  he  was 
much  struck  by  that  gathering  of  Anglican  Bishops 
from  various  parts  of  the  world.  General  Kireeff  has 
been  a  constant  contributor  to  the  International  Theo- 
logical Review,  in  the  pages  of  which  he  and  I  dis- 
cussed together  the  subject  of  the  Infallibility  of  the 
Church. 

The  two  Professors  at  the  University  of  Athens, 
Damalas  and  Rhossis,  did  not  take  a  very  active  part 
in  the  debates  at  the  Bonn  Conference  ;  nor  did  the 
two  Archimandrites,  Bryennios  (soon  afterwards  ap- 
pointed Archbishop)  and  Anastasiades.  But  the  latter 
addressed  to  me  several  earnest  letters  on  the  subject 
of  intercommunion,  which  were  published  by  the 
Anglo-Continental  Society. 

The  chief  English  ecclesiastic  was  Bishop  Sand- 
ford  of  Gibraltar,  in  whose  rooms  the  English  and 
Americans  met  every  day  for  prayer  and  consultation. 
At  this  time  Bishop  Sandford  had  not  long  held  his 
office,  and  he  felt  keenly  the  responsibility  incurred 
by  taking  part  in  the  Conference.  He  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  the  bishopric  by  Archbishop  Tait  in  the 
year  1874,  and  he  kept  up  the  tradition  of  courtesy 
and  friendship  which  had  been  begun  by  his  prede- 
cessor with  the  heads  of  the  Oriental  Church,  care- 
fully paying  the  ceremonial  visits  which  are  thought 
so  much  of  in  the  East,  whenever  he  made  his  visi- 
tations of  the  Anglican  congregations  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Church  of  Constantinople.  He  did 
not  see  his  way  to  give  open  encouragement  to  the  Old 
Catholics  in  the  western  part  of  his  diocese,  because 
he  considered  that  he  was  bound  by  international 
comity  not  to  interfere  with  the  Churches  of  those 
countries  in  which  he  himself  held  the  position,  more 
or  less,  of  a  stranger.  Shortly  before  his  death,  which 


1874-1904]     BISHOP  C.  W.  SANDFORD  277 

occurred  before  the  day  fixed  for  his  resignation,  he 
wrote  to  me  : 

*  MY  DEAR  MEYRICK, 

'On  next  December  13  thirty  years  will  have 
passed  away  since  I  had  a  walk  with  you  at  Torquay, 
and  lunched  with  you,  Mrs.  Meyrick,  and  your 
daughter,  Bishop  Harris  joining  the  party.  We  con- 
ferred together  about  my  future  work,  which  might 
have  fallen  upon  you  if  your  health  had  been  stronger. 
I  am  very  thankful  that  strength  has  been  given  me 
to  bear  the  fatigue  which  the  work  involves,  for 
nearly  thirty  years.  But  my  doctor  tells  me  that,  if  I 
attempted  another  long  journey,  I  should  break  down 
again,  and  so,  with  his  approval,  I  have  told  the  King 
and  the  Archbishop  that  on  February  i,  when  the 
thirty  years  will  be  complete,  I  shall  resign  the  charge 
into  younger  hands.  I  wish  that  I  could  think  of  some- 
one specially  fitted  for  the  peculiar  work.  He  ought 
to  have  sympathy  with  the  Eastern  Churches  and  to 
take  an  interest  in  British  seamen.  He  ought  to  be 
a  large-hearted,  liberal-minded  Churchman.  .  .  . 

1 1  am  glad  that  we  agree  on  the  Macedonian 
Question.  The  attitude  taken  by  the  Greek  Patriarch 
and  by  the  Greeks  generally  towards  their  Bulgarian 
brothers  is  deplorable.  The  Patriarch  has  never  for- 
given the  Bulgarians  for  seceding  from  the  Orthodox 
Church.  In  an  interview  which  I  had  with  him  in 
November,  1879,  I  expressed  a  wish  that  the  schism 
might  be  healed,  and  no  new  division  be  added  to 
those  which  already  troubled  the  peace  of  Christendom. 
The  Patriarch  replied  that  he  was  ready  to  receive 
the  Bulgarians  back  if  they  should  show  signs  of 
penitence.  The  question,  he  said,  was  political,  not 
religious.  As  I  learnt  from  the  Bulgarian  Exarch  and 
others,  it  was  a  question  of  patronage  and  a  desire  for 
independence  that  drove  the  Bulgarians  to  separate. 


2/8         BISHOPS  PERRY  AND  POTTER       [1875 

They  saw  all  the  high   posts,  bishoprics,  and   other 
preferments,  appropriated  by  Greeks. 

'.  .  .  You  were  good  to  me  and  my  brother  John  in 
his  Oxford  days.  With  kindest  remembrances  and 
best  wishes, 

'  I  remain,  dear  Meyrick, 

*  Yours  ever  sincerely, 

'  C.  W.  GIBRALTAR.' 

There  were  two  embryo  Bishops  of  the  American 
Church  present  at  the  Bonn  Conference.  One  was 
Dr.  Perry,  who  had  travelled  to  Bonn  from  London 
with  me  and  T.  W.  Bullock,  Secretary  of  the  S.P.G.  ; 
and  the  other  was  Dr.  Henry  Potter.  Dr.  Perry,  on 
his  return  to  London,  preached  a  sermon  on  the  Bonn 
Conference  at  Westminster  Abbey,  and  on  his  return 
to  America  was  elected  Bishop  of  Iowa.  He  was  a 
learned  man,  and  held  the  office  of  Historiographer  of 
the  American  Church.  His  interest  in  foreign  reform 
movements  continued  throughout  his  life. 

Dr.  Henry  Potter  has  for  many  years  earned  the 
respect  of  all  Americans  as  Bishop  of  New  York.  At 
Bonn  a  question  arose  as  to  the  members  of  the  com- 
mittee on  the  Procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
English  present  desired  to  appoint  Dean  Howson, 
Canon  Liddon,  and  myself;  but,  as  the  Old  Catholics 
were  to  be  represented  by  only  two  members,  it  was 
ruled  that  there  could  only  be  two  appointed  by  the 
English.  To  meet  the  difficulty,  Dr.  Potter  proposed 
that  the  American  Churchmen  present  should  elect  me 
and  Dr.  Nevin  as  the  representatives,  nominally  of 
the  American  Church,  but  really  of  the  Anglican 
communion,  whether  in  America  or  England.  I  rose 
to  withdraw  my  name,  while  expressing  my  gratitude 
for  the  confidence  placed  in  me  by  my  American 
brethren ;  but  I  was  anticipated  by  Dean  Howson, 
who  declared  himself  unwilling  to  act  upon  the  com- 


i8;s]  MADAME  NOVIKOFF  279 

mittee,  the  result  being  that  Canon  Liddon,  Dr.  Nevin, 
and  myself  were  appointed.  Dr.  Potter  gave  the 
impression  of  being  a  very  strong  man,  and  his  after- 
life has  proved  that  this  impression  was  right. 

At  the  hotel  at  which  I  was  staying  there  were 
many  members  of  the  Conference,  and  among  them 
General  Kireeff  and  his  sister,  Madame  Novikoff. 
Madame  Novikoff  took  the  deepest  interest  in  the 
results  of  the  Conference,  and  had  apparently  come 
for  the  special  purpose  of  gauging  the  effects  of  the 
Old  Catholic  Movement  on  the  Russian  Church. 
Afterwards  she  went  to  London,  and  there  for  season 
after  season  she  has  held  a  sort  of  salon,  where  the 
relations  between  Russia  and  England  have  been 
informally  talked  over.  By  her  own  powers  of  con- 
versation she  has  attracted  men  and  women  of  various 
schools  to  her  house.  On  one  occasion  I  met  Mr. 
Kinglake  there.  Mr.  Gladstone  was  more  than  once 
present.  When  questions  arose  between  England 
and  Russia,  she  took  care  to  have  the  Russian  side 
presented  both  in  society  and  in  the  press.  Her 
influence  in  smoothing  anti-Russian  prejudices  and 
feelings  has  been  appreciable.  Like  her  brother,  she 
has  learnt  to  understand  the  character  of  the  English 
Church  better  than  most  foreigners.  She  went  to 
Oxford  to  hear  a  sermon  that  I  preached  before 
the  University  on  the  schism  between  the  Eastern 
and  Western  Churches,  but  she  was  not  content  with 
my  representation  of  the  Second  Council  of  Nicaea 
and  the  Eastern  use  of  icons. 

The  English  layman  who  took  most  interest  in  the 
Bonn  propositions  when  they  were  brought  back  to 
England  was  A.  J.  Beresford  Hope,  who  drew  up  and 
circulated  an  address  to  Dr.  v.  Dollinger,  thanking  him 
for  the  Bonn  Conferences.  This  address  was  signed 
by  3,8oo  clergy,  of  whom  thirty-eight  were  Bishops, 
and  by  4,250  laymen,  making  in  all  8,050.  A  letter 


280  A.  J.  BERESFORD  HOPE  [1875 

from  Bishop  Harold  Browne  was  enclosed  with  the 
address,  and  the  following  inscription  was  added  : 

'Viro 
Reverendissimo  doctissimo 

Pientissimo 
IGNATIO  J.  VON  DOLLINGER,  S.T.P. 

Bonnensis 
de  fide  catholica 

Consessus 
An.  MDCCCLXXV  habiti 

Praesidi 
Summa  cum  reverentia 

Offerunt 

Anglicanae  ecclesias 
Episcopi  clerici  laid.' 

At  Cambridge  Mr.  Beresford  Hope  had  been  an 
active  member  of  the  Ecclesiological  Society,  and  in 
that  way  he  had  come  to  take  an  interest,  not  only  in 
the  architecture  of  churches,  but  in  the  fortunes  of  the 
Church.  He  spent  large  sums  in  the  restoration  of 
All  Saints'  Church  in  Margaret  Street,  London ;  and 
the  establishment  of  St.  Augustine's  College,  Canter- 
bury is  due  to  his  liberality  and  Mr.  Edward  Cole- 
ridge's energy.  To  support  the  views  which  he  held 
in  Church  politics,  he  purchased  the  Morning  Chronicle, 
a  London  daily  paper,  and  wrote  in  it  a  series  of 
letters  signed  'D.C.L.,'  which  were  very  effective 
at  the  time ;  and  the  establishment  of  the  Saturday 
Review  was  due  to  him.  He  was  married  to  Lord 
Salisbury's  sister,  and  I  once  saw  Lady  Mildred  in 
a  Court  dress  resplendent  with  the  famous  Hope 
diamonds.  The  Queen  had  given  her  a  diamond  ring, 
which  she  therefore  wore  in  going  to  Court ;  but  it 
was  by  no  means  equal  to  many  of  the  other  diamonds 
that  she  was  wearing.  No  one  set  a  nobler  example 
of  liberality  in  connection  with  the  Church  than  Mr. 
Beresford  Hope. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Spain — Italy — Signor  Minghetti — Lord  Acton — Pere  Hyacinthe 
Loyson. 

MY  health  having  broken  down  in  the  year  1870,  I 
went  abroad  to  Malaga,  Algiers,  Sicily,  Italy,  and  the 
South  of  France.  In  Malaga  it  fell  to  my  lot,  in  the 
absence  of  the  Chaplain,  to  bury  one  of  the  English 
visitors  who  had  died  there.  On  the  day  of  the 
funeral  there  were  present  in  the  beautiful  English 
cemetery  of  Malaga  from  twelve  to  twenty  of  the 
chief  young  merchants  of  the  city,  who  followed  the 
service  with  bared  heads  and  reverent  demeanour, 
and  some  of  them  expressed  themselves  as  touched  by 
the  ceremony  which  they  had  attended.  When  per- 
mission to  build  this  cemetery  was  first  extorted  from 
Ferdinand  VII.  (for  till  that  time  our  English  dead  were 
sunk  in  the  sands  by  the  seaside,  a  prey  to  the  dogs 
or  the  waves,  as  too  profane  for  the  soil  of  Spain),  one 
of  the  conditions  was  that  it  should  be  surrounded  by 
a  high  wall,  in  order  that  no  sign  of  a  religious  cere- 
mony should  be  visible  at  the  time  of  a  funeral.  The 
space  surrounded  by  the  wall  has  been  outgrown,  and, 
as  shown  by  the  instance  given  above,  some  progress 
in  religious  tolerance  has  been  effected.  It  was  not, 
however,  till  after  Prim's  revolution  in  1868  that  an 
English  clergyman  could  venture  to  utter  a  word  of 
consolation  or  prayer  to  English  sailors  taken  to 
the  Malaga  hospital  to  die.  The  English  Chaplain 

281 


282  SERMON  AT  MALAGA  [1870 

had  been  roughly  treated  for  reading  a  letter  to  a 
sick  man  in  the  hospital  a  year  or  two  before  my  visit. 
The  Roman  Church  has  lost  its  hold  over  the 
middle  class  in  Spain,  but  it  is  still  powerful  with 
the  peasantry,  who  are  for  the  most  part  illiterate 
and  bigoted,  but  kindly  disposed.  During  my  stay  at 
Malaga,  a  week  of  prayer  for  the  Pope  of  Rome  was 
appointed.  I  went  to  hear  the  chief  sermon  of  the 
week,  and  very  well  worth  hearing  it  was.  The 
preacher  commenced  by  saying  that  his  objects  were 
to  prove  that  the  Papacy  was  to  be  preserved  as  the 
mainstay  of  civilization,  and  that  the  present  Pope 
was  more  excellent  than  all  the  Popes  that  had  gone 
before  him.  With  regard  to  the  first  point,  he  said  he 
could  prove  it  at  once,  for  the  history  of  civilization 
was  nothing  else  than  the  history  of  the  Papacy.  For 
was  not  the  history  of  Europe  the  history  of  the 
civilized  world  ?  and  was  not  the  history  of  the 
Church  the  history  of  Europe  ?  and  was  not  the 
history  of  the  Papacy  the  history  of  the  Church  ? 
Therefore  the  history  of  the  Papacy  was  the  history 
of  civilization.  At  present  the  Catholic  nations  were 
at  the  head  of  civilization,  and  even  England,  in  send- 
ing out  to  Spain  scientific  men  to  note  the  eclipse,  had 
been  obliged  to  put  a  Catholic  priest  at  their  head. 
Further,  he  had  to  prove  that  the  Papacy  was  the 
mainstay  of  liberty,  fraternity,  and  equality.  Histori- 
cally this  had  always  been  so.  The  Popes  had  always 
been  on  the  side  of  the  people,  and  this  was  why  they 
were  so  obnoxious  to  Emperors  and  Kings.  Had  not 
the  Popes  supported  the  people  of  Italy  against  the 
German  Empire  ?  Had  not  Hildebrand  resisted  the 
imperial  power,  and  why  did  he  do  this  except  from 
his  love  for  the  people  ?  If  they  wanted  freedom, 
justice,  equality,  they  must  insist  on  the  temporal 
power  being  given  back  to  the  Pope.  At  the  present 
moment  this  was  wanted  more  than  ever;  for  the 


i87o]  SIGNOR  MINGHETTI  283 

Teutonic  and  Slavonic  nations  were  forming  them- 
selves into  leagues  under  despots,  and  it  was  neces- 
sary that  all  the  Latin  nations  should  form  themselves 
into  a  league,  too,  under  the  temporal  presidency  and 
headship  of  the  Pope.  The  preacher  then  depicted 
Pius  IX.  as  the  most  excellent  and  the  most  suffering 
of  living  men.  Being  a  man  of  eloquence,  he  had  so 
far  worked  on  his  audience  at  the  end  of  his  sermon — 
there  were  present  about  500  men  and  1,000  women — 
that,  standing  up,  they  joined  him  aloud  in  a  declaration 
recited  from  his  lips :  that  they  protested  before  God, 
before  angels,  and  before  men,  that  they  would  not 
permit  the  Holy  Father  to  be  kept  a  prisoner,  and  that 
they  would  not  allow  the  Vatican  to  be  turned  into 
a  Calvary.  In  countries  outside  of  Italy  it  was  a 
general  belief  that  Pope  Pius  IX.  was  kept  in  a 
dungeon,  and  slept  upon  straw.  Straw,  it  is  said, 
was  sold  in  Ireland  as  that  on  which  the  Holy  Father 
had  lain. 

During  my  visit  to  Palermo,  I  was  fortunate  in 
having  opportunities  of  conversing  with  the  Italian 
Prime  Minister,  Minghetti,  who  spoke  to  me  with 
great  frankness  as  to  the  political  and  ecclesiastical 
state  of  Italy.  I  asked  him  if  it  were  possible  that 
the  Bishops  could  be  loyal  and  patriotic  citizens  of 
the  Italian  kingdom  while  they  were  nominated  by 
the  Pope  of  Rome.  He  allowed  that  there  was  every 
probability  that  they  would  be  disloyal,  but  thought 
that  after  a  time  they  would  not  have  so  much  power, 
owing  to  the  growth  of  non-Romanist  sects  and  other 
causes. 

1  But,'  I  asked,  *  is  it  necessary  to  accept  as  an  in- 
evitable fact  the  disloyalty  of  the  Bishops  of  the 
national  Church  ?  In  England  there  are  none  more 
loyal  than  the  English  Bishops.' 

'  That,'  he  said,  *  is  owing  to  the  difference  between 
Catholicism  and  Protestantism.' 


284  SIGNOR  MINGHETTI  [1870 

1  Should  you  not  rather  say  the  difference  between 
the  Papal  and  other  systems  ?'  I  asked. 

For  a  moment  he  did  not  seem  to  grasp  the  dis- 
tinction, but  presently  he  said  : 

*  It  may  be  so.' 

4  But  is  Italy  really  to  acquiesce  for  ever/  I  con- 
tinued, '  in  an  unpatriotic  Episcopate  ?' 
4  What  would  you  do  ?'  he  replied. 

*  Could  not  the  Bishops   be   otherwise  nominated, 
and  could  not  a  law  be  passed  making  the  oath  of 
feudal    allegiance    and    submission    taken    by    every 
Bishop  to  the  Pope  illegal  ?' 

'  How  could  they  be  nominated  ?' 

'  Our  Bishops  in  England  are  nominated  by  the 
Crown,  which  is  found  in  practice  to  work  well.' 

'That  would  be  impossible  in  Italy.  We  believe 
that  all  interference  on  the  part  of  the  State  with 
spiritual  or  ecclesiastical  matters  should  be  done  away 
with.' 

1  Interference,  yes ;  but  may  there  not  be  circum- 
stances in  which  intervention  is  justifiable  and  just  ?' 

( Bishops  nominated  by  the  King  would  not  be 
acknowledged  by  the  mass  of  Church-people.' 

1  Then,  cannot  you  fall  back  on  the  primitive  practice, 
and  let  the  Bishops  be  elected  by  the  clergy  and  laity 
of  the  diocese,  and  consecrated  by  the  Metropolitan?' 

'There  is  no  sufficient  public  opinion  to  enable  us  to 
act  thus.' 

'  And  how  is  such  a  public  opinion  to  be  formed  ?' 

'That,'  he  said,  'I  cannot  tell.  It  is  enough  for  us 
that  it  does  not  exist.' 

Subsequently  I  asked  him  if  it  were  impossible  to 
have  an  Italian  Metropolitan  distinct  from  the  Pope 
if  the  Pope  continued  irreconcilable.  He  said  that  it 
was  impossible,  for  the  same  reason  as  before,  that 
there  was  not  sufficient  public  opinion  in  its  favour. 
He  gave  me  his  speech  on  the  liberty  of  the  Church, 


i87o]  PROFESSOR  TOMMASI  285 

and  I  gave  him  the  Report  of  Convocation  on  the  Election 
of  Bishops. 

The  question,  How  is  public  opinion  to  be  formed  ? 
returned  upon  me  with  renewed  force  at  Naples. 

1  If,'  said  an  Italian  friend  with  whom  I  was  discussing 
it,  '  if  the  Government  would  take  it  up ' 

'The  Government,'  I  replied,  *  cannot  form  public 
opinion,  but  must  follow  it.  Men  of  the  people  must 
form  it  from  below.' 

After  discussion  with  five  or  six  Italian  gentlemen,  I 
proposed  the  following  address,  which  was  translated 
by  one  of  them  into  Italian  :  '  Is  it  possible  that  the 
Bishops  of  Italy  can  be  patriotic  men  while  they  are 
nominated  by  the  Pope,  who  declares  himself  an 
enemy  of  the  kingdom  of  Italy  ?  Is  it  possible  that 
the  Bishops  can  be  loyal  to  the  King  and  to  the  Italian 
Constitution  while  they  bind  themselves  by  oath  "to 
defend  the  royalties  of  St.  Peter,"  and  "to  attack  and 
oppose  with  all  their  might  all  rebels  against  our  Lord 
the  Pope  "?  What  remedy  for  so  great  an  evil  ?  Let 
every  Italian  earnestly  consider  this  question,  and  do 
his  best  to  give  help  to  his  suffering  country.' 

Permission  was  asked  by  my  Neapolitan  friends  to 
set  up  the  above  as  a  placard  on  the  walls.  But  it  was 
forbidden  by  the  police,  lest  it  should  give  offence  to 
the  Pope.  The  same  thing  occurred  in  Rome  and 
Florence,  but  the  address  was  published  in  two  or 
three  Italian  newspapers,  and  copies  of  it  were 
circulated  through  the  post. 

In  Rome  I  had  several  conversations  with  Professor 
Tommasi,  of  the  Roman  University.  Like  most  Italian 
Liberals,  he  thought  that  no  help  could  be  given  to  the 
national  and  reforming  party  within  the  Church  by 
the  State,  though  he  allowed  that  the  scepticism  of 
the  educated  and  the  Ultramontanism  of  the  Jesuitical 
party  formed  the  chief  danger  of  Italy  as  a  nation. 

'  Does  the  liberty  of  the  Church,'  I  asked,  'mean  no 


286  PROFESSOR  TOMMASI  [1870 

more  than  the  liberty  of  the  Pope  to  nominate  Bishops 
hostile  to  the  nation,  and  liberty  of  the  Bishops  to 
suspend  patriotic  priests  at  their  will  ?' 

1  Parliament  cannot  interfere/  he  said.  *  We  have 
granted  general  liberty,  and  leave  the  Church  to  settle 
its  own  affairs.' 

'  With  what  results  ?'  I  inquired. 

1  The  results,'  he  said,  '  are  evil,  as  shown  by  the 
suspension  of  a  priest  by  his  Bishop  for  officiating  to 
some  of  the  King's  soldiers  [a  case  which  was  occur- 
ring at  the  moment].  But  how  are  we  to  obviate  them, 
and  yet  preserve  our  principle  of  washing  our  hands 
of  all  religion  ?' 

'  Is  not,'  I  said,  '  the  Papal  system  different  from  that 
of  all  other  Churches  and  religions  ?  Is  it  not  practi- 
cally, in  one  of  its  aspects,  a  temporal  power  under  an 
absolute  despot  ?  and  does  not  this  temporal  power 
require  to  be  confronted  by  the  more  legitimate 
temporal  authority  of  the  civil  power  ?' 

'  Liberal  politicians  are  not  prepared  again  to 
entangle  themselves  in  religious  matters,'  he  returned  ; 
'  but  there  are  at  least  two  great  encouragements,'  he 
continued.  '  Free  principles  are  undoubtedly  rooting 
themselves  in  Italy,  and  the  kingdom  of  Italy  has  won 
the  prestige  belonging  to  the  occupation  of  Rome. 
What  is  now  wanting  is  a  movement  by  a  leading 
ecclesiastic.' 

'And  what  protection  would  he  and  his  followers 
have  from  the  State  if  they  were  deprived  of  their 
benefices  and  salaries  by  the  Pope  ?' 

'  None.' 

'  Then,  they  would  be  starved  ?' 

'  Unless  they  could  find  support  for  themselves.' 

1  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  not  wonderful  that 
there  is  no  Dollinger  and  no  Hyacinthe  in  Italy.' 

Pere  Hyacinthe  was  at  this  time  in  Rome,  where 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  making  his  acquaintance  and 


18751  LORD  ACTON  287 

that  of  Mrs.   Merriman,  who  afterwards  became  his 
wife. 

Spending  the  winter  of  1875  at  Torquay,  I  saw  a 
great  deal  of  Lord  Acton,  and  had  much  conversation 
with  him  on  the  state  of  religion  on  the  Continent. 
He  had  resided  in  Rome  during  the  session  of  the 
Vatican  Council,  where  he  used  his  influence  with  the 
Bishops  to  prevent  the  declaration  of  Infallibility, 
and  kept  Mr.  Gladstone  acquainted  with  the  course 
of  the  Council's  proceedings,  as  Mr.  Odo  Russell, 
instructed  by  Manning,  informed  Lord  Clarendon  of 
them.  Since  the  publication  of  the  dogma,  Lord 
Acton  had  followed  Bellinger's  action  with  the  greatest 
sympathy,  having  himself  been  at  one  time  a  pupil  of 
Dollinger,  and  holding  the  same  sentiments  with  him. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  had  he  lived  on  the  Continent 
he  would  have  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  Old  Catholics  ; 
but  in  England  he  felt  himself  hampered.  He  was  not 
prepared  to  join  the  Church  of  England,  chiefly  owing 
to  a  repulsion  that  he  felt  to  the  school  represented  by 
Dean  Stanley ;  and  at  the  same  time  there  seemed  to 
be  hardly  room  for  an  Old  Catholic  body  between  the 
Church  of  England  and  the  Papal  communion  in 
England.  About  a  fortnight  before  Christmas  Day,  he 
came  to  me  and  said  that  the  Roman  priest  at  Torquay 
had  written  to  him  asking  for  an  interview.  '  I  think,' 
he  said,  '  the  reason  of  his  doing  so  is  to  forbid  my 
Communion  at  Christmas,  and  that  will  be  a  serious 
indication  to  me  of  what  should  be  my  duty  in  the 
future.'  But  the  priest  in  question  was  too  wise  to 
alienate  so  influential  a  personage.  The  purpose  of 
the  interview  was  not  to  forbid,  but  to  invite,  his 
presence.  Lord  Acton  told  me  that  he  did  not  believe, 
and  could  not  believe,  the  infallibility  of  the  Pope,  as 
defined,  any  more  than  Dollinger,  who  declared  that 
he  could  as  soon  believe  that  two  and  two  made  five. 
He  said  that  he  should  appoint  a  private  chaplain  with 


288  HYACINTHE  LOYSON  [1878 

the  same  sentiments  as  himself,  and  proceed  just  as  if 
the  Vatican  Council  had  not  been  held.  Soon  after 
this  Lord  Acton  left  Torquay,  and  I  had  no  more 
communication  with  him,  except  by  the  interchange  of 
a  few  letters.  Professor  Friedrich  stated  in  a  letter 
written  just  after  Bellinger's  death  that  Lord  Acton 
had  urged  him  to  stand  by  Dollinger  in  his  last 
sickness  and  prevent  the  intrusion  of  any  Roman 
priest. 

In  July,  1878,  the  second  Lambeth  Conference  was 
held,  and  M.  Loyson,  or  Pere  Hyacinthe,  came  to 
England  to  watch  its  proceedings.  He  had  been 
ordained  in  the  year  1851,  and  became  next  year  a 
barefooted  Carmelite.  In  1864-1868  he  was,  by  Arch- 
bishop Darboy's  appointment,  preacher  at  Notre  Dame, 
and  was  found  to  be  a  greater  orator  than  any  since 
Lacordaire.  But  Hyacinthe  was  anti-Vaticanist,  on 
which  account  the  General  of  the  Carmelites  forbade 
him  to  touch  on  controversy.  Hyacinthe  returned 
answer  that  he  could  not  be  a  'dumb  dog  unable  to  bark,' 
and  that  if  this  were  required  of  him  he  must  leave  the 
convent,  to  which  the  General  replied  that  he  would 
thereby  incur  the  greater  excommunication.  Hyacinthe 
left  the  convent  and  sailed  for  America.  Returning 
to  France  the  next  spring,  he  published  a  protest 
against  the  dogma  of  Infallibility,  and  declared  his 
adhesion  to  the  Old  Catholics.  But  till  the  year  1878 
French  law  did  not  permit  him  to  speak  publicly  on 
religion  in  France,  and  when  he  gave  a  lecture  on 
morals  a  Commissioner  of  Police  was  present  to  see 
that  he  did  not  touch  on  doctrine. 

At  the  second  Lambeth  Conference,  held  July,  1878, 
a  Commission  was  appointed  consisting  of  the  Arch- 
bishops of  Canterbury,  York,  Armagh,  and  Dublin, 
the  Primus  of  the  Scottish  Church,  the  presiding 
Bishop  of  the  American  Church,  the  Bishops  of 
London,  Long  Island,  and  Gibraltar,  to  enter  into 


i873J  HYACINTHE  LOYSON  289 

communication  with  any  Old  Catholics  who  might 
desire  the  help  of  the  Church  of  England.  In  the 
following  week  Bishop  Harold  Browne  held  a  Confer- 
ence at  Farnham  to  consider  the  relations  of  the 
Anglican  Church  with  members  of  other  communions. 
At  this  Conference  M.  Loyson  besought  the  Church 
of  England  to  help  him  in  building  up  a  Reformed 
Gallican  Church,  and  a  resolution  was  moved  by  the 
Bishop  of  Western  New  York  (Bishop  Coxe),  seconded 
by  the  Bishop  of  Lichfield  (now  Archbishop  Maclagan), 
and  supported  by  the  Bishop  of  Moray  and  Ross 
(Bishop  Eden),  and  passed,  '  that  this  meeting,  having 
heard  a  statement  from  M.  Hyacinthe  Loyson,  resolves 
that  it  is  desirable  to  extend  to  him  sympathy  and 
support  for  his  work  in  France,  and  that  the  secretary 
of  the  Anglo-Continental  Society  be  requested  to 
institute  a  special  French  fund  for  that  purpose.' 

From  Farnham  M.  Loyson  came  with  his  wife 
on  a  visit  to  me  at  Blickling,  and  while  in  my  house 
wrote  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  praying 
for  the  help  offered  by  the  Lambeth  Conference,  and 
asking  to  be  placed  provisionally  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  Anglican  Episcopate.  The  Archbishop 
(Tait),  as  President  of  the  Commission,  referred  him 
to  the  Primus  of  the  Scottish  Church  for  guidance  and 
direction,  and  the  Primus  associated  with  himself,  in 
the  task  imposed  upon  him,  his  colleague,  Bishop 
Cotterill  of  Edinburgh.  In  February,  1879,  M.  Loyson, 
with  his  hands  thus  strengthened,  opened  a  church  in 
the  Rue  Rochechouart.  In  this  church  Bishop  Herzog, 
acting  for  the  Scottish  Primus,  held  a  Confirmation  in 
the  summer  of  1879;  and  in  August  of  the  same  year 
the  Bishop  of  Edinburgh,  Bishop  Reinkens,  Bishop 
Herzog,  and  M.  Loyson,  received  the  Holy  Communion 
together  at  Berne,  as  Bishop  J.  Wordsworth,  Bishop 
Herzog,  and  Herr  Cech  did  at  Salisbury  afterwards. 
At  the  same  time  M.  Loyson  issued  a  programme  of 

19 


290  HYACINTHE  LOYSON  [1879-88 

the  reform  that  he  desired,  which  contained  five 
propositions : 

1.  The  rejection  of  Papal  Infallibility. 

2.  The  election  of  Bishops  by  the  clergy  and  faithful 
people. 

3.  The  celebration  of  the  Liturgy  and  reading  of  the 
Bible  in  the  vulgar  tongue. 

4.  The  liberty  of  marriage  to  the  clergy. 

5.  The  liberty  and  moralization  of  Confession. 
With  all  his  splendid  qualities,  M.  Loyson  had  not 

the  power  of  organization,  and  consequently  his  one 
congregation  did  not  grow  into  many.  What  was  the 
reason  ?  Probably  it  was  that  Frenchmen,  unable  to 
accept  modern  Romanism,  had  become  indifferent 
to  all  questions  of  religion  ;  and  possibly  they  were 
not  inclined  to  attach  themselves  to  a  movement 
which  had  its  chief  centre  in  Germany.  M.  Loyson 
thought  that  a  more  constant  episcopal  superintendence 
than  could  be  supplied  by  the  Bishop  of  Edinburgh 
(to  whom  the  Bishop  of  Moray  had  delegated  that 
function)  was  required.  Upon  this  the  Bishop  of 
Edinburgh  resigned  his  office,  to  the  great  loss  of 
the  French  Old  Catholics.  M.  Lartigau,  Old  Catholic 
curate  in  Paris,  consulted  Bishop  Herzog  as  to  the 
advisableness  of  consecrating  M.  Loyson  as  Bishop. 
Bishop  Herzog  wrote  to  inquire  whether  such  was 
the  wish  of  the  English  Episcopate,  for  which  he  had 
already  acted.  Learning  that  this  was  not  the  case, 
Bishop  Herzog  declined  to  act.  M.  Loyson  then  in- 
vited Bishop  Jenner  to  his  assistance,  who  gave  him 
his  co-operation  to  the  year  1888.  But  Bishop  Jenner 
did  not  carry  with  him  the  authority  of  the  English 
Church.  In  1888  Bishop  Coxe  of  Western  New  York, 
as  the  head  of  a  committee  appointed  by  the  American 
Bishops  to  look  into  the  question  of  reform  in  France, 
held  a  Confirmation  in  M.  Loyson's  church  in  Paris, 
having  first  stated  to  the  Archbishop  of  Paris  the 


i888-i9o5]        HYACINTHE  LOYSON  291 

grounds  on  which  he  did  so.  Having  come  to  England, 
Bishop  Coxe  spoke  at  a  second  Conference  held  at 
Farnham,  in  favour  of  helping  M.  Loyson  in  carrying 
out  a  reform  on  the  basis  of  the  Gallican  principles  of 
1682,  and  his  counsel  was  that  the  French  congregation 
should  place  itself  under  the  authority  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Utrecht,  representing  the  Jansenist  Church 
of  Holland,  which  was  so  closely  connected  in  its 
principles  with  Port  Royal.  This  was  done,  and  that 
is  the  position  of  the  congregation  in  Paris  at  the 
present  time,  Pere  Hyacinthe  having  resigned  the 
charge  of  it  to  a  successor.  Except  for  a  visit  that 
he  paid  me  at  Pau,  I  did  not  meet  M.  Loyson  again 
until  I  went  with  Archbishop  Plunket  to  Madrid. 
Stopping  on  our  way  at  Paris,  we  dined  with  the 
British  Chaplain,  meeting  our  Ambassador,  Lord 
Dufferin,  and  M.  Loyson  was  one  of  the  guests.  We 
afterwards  continued  our  journey  to  Madrid,  and 
there  M.  Loyson  laid  hands,  together  with  Dr.  Noyes 
and  myself,  Count  Campello  and  Dr.  Cabrera,  repre- 
senting the  English,  French,  Italian,  and  Spanish 
Churches,  on  a  candidate  for  Holy  Orders,  whom  the 
Archbishop  of  Dublin  ordained.  Pere  Hyacinthe  still 
resides  in  Paris  (1905);  and  though  he  is  no  longer 
connected  with  the  congregation  which  he  originally 
established,  his  voice  still  occasionally  rings  through 
France  as  the  pioneer  of  a  coming  reform. 


19  —  2 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Torquay — Baroness  Burdett-Coutts — Sir  William  Martin — 
Count  Henry  di  Campello. 

WHILE  I  was  at  Torquay,  where  I  spent  several 
winters,  I  saw  a  good  deal  of  the  Baroness  Burdett- 
Coutts.  Her  father,  Sir  Francis  Burdett,  had  been 
squire  in  my  father's  parish,  and  the  Baroness  was 
the  same  age  as  one  of  my  sisters.  One  of  the  first 
things  that  I  remember  was  being  dressed  up  in  blue 
ribbons  (Sir  Francis  Burdett's  colours  being  'true 
blue'),  and  seeing  Sir  Francis  coming  to  confer  with 
some  of  the  voters  of  the  neighbourhood  on  the  lawn 
between  the  Vicarage  and  the  church,  while  the  bells 
rang  to  welcome  him.  My  father,  who  was  a  Whig, 
voted  for  him,  mainly  on  account  of  what  he  had  been  ; 
my  uncle,  who  was  a  Tory,  chiefly  for  what  he  was  at  the 
time.  He  himself  said  that  he  had  made  no  change  in 
his  political  tenets,  but  that  the  world  had  advanced 
so  rapidly,  that  while  in  his  youth  he  was  regarded  as 
a  Radical,  in  his  mature  age  he  was  counted  as  a  Tory. 
I  do  not  remember  his  face,  but  his  figure  made  an 
impression  on  my  boyish  mind,  as  he  was  tall  and 
thin  and  upright,  and  he  was  dressed  in  white 
corduroys  which  were  much  wrinkled.  He  gave  a 
number  of  franks  for  letters  to  my  father  and  my 
uncle,  one  of  which,  not  having  been  used,  I  gave 
back  to  the  Baroness,  after  the  use  of  franks  had 
long  ceased,  as  a  memento  of  past  days.  There  was 

292 


i876]       BARONESS  BURDETT-COUTTS         293 

something  singularly  sweet  and  unpretentious  in  the 
Baroness's  manner — a  manner  plainly  resulting  from 
her  own  character.  At  one  of  the  Prince  of  Wales's 
parties  at  Sandringham,  where  she  was  making  one 
of  the  house-party,  which  naturally  kept  itself  apart 
from  the  county  guests  who  were  unknown  to  it,  she 
took  the  trouble  to  come  from  her  end  of  the  room  to 
sit  with  my  young  daughters,  whom  she  had  noticed 
to  be  there,  to  make  them  the  more  enjoy  the  evening. 

She  took  a  house  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Blickling, 
where  on  one  occasion  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
Albani,  who,  after  making  herself  very  agreeable  at 
dinner,  good-naturedly  played  dance  music  for  the 
rest  of  the  party,  while  I  turned  over  the  pages  for 
her.  The  Baroness  celebrated  her  ninetieth  birthday 
in  April,  1904.  Few  have  used  great  wealth  so  nobly. 

One  of  my  most  intimate  friends  and  companions 
at  Torquay  was  Sir  William  Martin,  late  Chief  Justice 
in  New  Zealand,  the  friend  of  Bishop  Selwyn  and 
Patteson.  Never  was  the  advantage  of  the  co-opera- 
tion of  State  and  Church  better  manifested  than  in 
New  Zealand  when  Bishop  Selwyn  and  Chief  Justice 
Martin  worked  together  for  the  good  of  the  country. 
Every  Sunday  Sir  William  held  a  class  of  Maori  lads, 
whom  he  taught,  and  he  was  always  ready  to  give 
kindly  advice  to  the  natives  who  came  to  him  in  their 
difficulties.  He  was  an  excellent  scholar  in  Oriental, 
classical,  and  modern  languages,  and  it  was  his  custom 
to  give  lectures  in  the  Greek  Testament  to  the  students 
at  St.  John's  College  whenever  the  Bishop  was  absent 
on  his  episcopal  voyages  among  the  islands.  All 
legal  questions,  secular  or  ecclesiastical,  which  arose 
in  the  new  country  were  settled  by  him  in  a  manner 
generally  satisfactory  to  the  applicants.  In  1856  he 
had  to  come  to  England  from  ill-health,  which  caused 
him  to  resign  his  office,  and  he  took  occasion  to  go 
over  with  Sir  John  Patteson  and  Sir  John  Coleridge 


294  TORQUAY  [1876 

the  Church  Constitution  for  New  Zealand,  which  had 
been  drawn  up  by  himself  and  Bishop  Selwyn.  As 
soon  as  his  health  allowed,  he  returned  to  New 
Zealand  for  the  purpose  of  again  working  with  Bishop 
Selwyn.  But  in  1868  Bishop  Selwyn  was  translated 
to  Lichfield,  Bishop  Abraham  returned  to  England, 
and  Bishop  Patteson  was  killed  in  1871.  These 
changes,  and  his  own  still  failing  health,  led  him  to 
come  back  to  England,  where  he  kept  up  his  studies, 
philological  and  ecclesiastical.  He  told  me  once  that 
he  had  read  the  whole  of  Bingham's  Antiquities  through 
from  beginning  to  end — a  book  of  immense  value, 
which  most  persons  are  contented  to  refer  to  on 
special  points  for  their  elucidation. 

His  interest  in  the  Old  Catholics  was  very  warm,  and 
whenever  a  question  involving  the  application  of  old 
principles  to  new  circumstances  arose,  he  was  ready 
to  give  it  his  most  patient  and  thoughtful  consideration. 
On  these  occasions  he  became  the  judge  once  more ; 
his  countenance  assumed  its  judicial  gravity,  the  case 
was  brought  forward,  the  arguments  on  either  side 
marshalled  and  balanced,  and  the  decision  given. 
What  distressed  him  most  in  England  was  the  less 
loyal  feeling  which  he  found  in  the  younger  clergy 
than  that  which  had  existed  in  the  more  robust  genera- 
tion represented  by  Bishops  Selwyn  and  Patteson  ; 
and  he  more  than  once  expressed  a  sorrowful  con- 
viction that  the  Eucharistic  doctrine  contained  in 
many  popular  manuals  was  derogatory  to  the  honour 
of  God  the  Father,  inasmuch  as  it  represented  Him  as 
still  unreconciled,  and  only  restrained  from  inflicting 
punishment  by  the  constant  action  of  the  Son  in 
heaven  pointing  to  His  sacred  wounds,  and  in  a 
mystic  sense  continuing  there  the  Sacrifice  of  the 
Cross.  The  Holy  Communion,  which  he  loved  to 
attend,  was  to  him  a  feast  of  God's  children  at  God's 
board,  a  peace-offering  exhibiting  a  joyous  sense  of 


i8;6]  SIR  WILLIAM  MARTIN  295 

communion  already  existing  between  the  partakers 
and  the  reconciled  Father,  not  a  sin-offering  to  effect 
a  reconciliation  as  yet  unmade.  On  the  last  occasion 
that  I  was  conversing  with  him,  two  subjects  were 
mentioned  which  appeared  to  us  to  need  restating 
under  the  present  circumstances  of  the  Church. 
'  Well,'  said  Sir  William,  with  a  smile,  '  I  am  an  old 
man,  but  I  will  undertake  one,  and  you  must  under- 
take the  other.'  I  shook  my  head,  for  the  task  that  he 
laid  upon  me  was  the  restatement  of  the  doctrine  of 
the  Church  of  England  on  the  subject  of  the  Holy 
Communion.  I  did  not  undertake  it  then,  but  I  was 
led  afterwards  to  do  so  by  some  strange  doctrines 
which  I  heard  preached  in  churches  at  Hastings, 
which  were  not  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  in 
England. 

Sir  William  Martin  was  an  example  of  a  devout 
layman,  formed  by  the  Anglican  Church.  Such  men 
are  not  prodigies  of  asceticism  to  make  the  world  go 
wondering  after  them,  and  they  are  marked  by  a 
simplicity  and  common-sense  which  makes  those  who 
seek  after  a  sign  think  lightly  of  them.  Why  is  this, 
but  that  their  minds  are  evenly  balanced,  each  quality 
being  duly  developed  in  proper  proportion  with  the 
rest,  the  result  of  which  is  to  produce  a  man  in  the 
highest  perfection  of  man's  nature  ?  Out  of  the  best 
men  are  formed  the  best  Christians — the  truest  saints 
of  God.  Such  were,  in  the  generation  that  has  passed 
away,  Sir  John  Patteson,  Sir  John  Coleridge,  Sir 
William  Martin,  Mr.  J.  H.  Markland,  Mr.  W.  Gibbs, 
Mr.  J.  G.  Hubbard,  and  Roundell,  Lord  Selborne. 
May  such  laymen  be  never  wanting  to  the  Church 
of  England ! 

Mr.  Gibbs,  named  above,  at  the  time  that  I  knew 
him,  was  the  eldest  member  of  a  well-known  mercantile 
house.  He  built  himself  a  beautiful  residence  at 
Tyntesfield  near  Bristol,  where  more  than  once  I 


296  TYNTESFIELD  [1878 

visited  him.  His  great  desire  was  to  make  use  of  his 
wealth  for  the  benefit  and  happiness  of  others.  To 
him  Keble  College  owes  its  chapel,  and,  I  believe, 
part  of  its  endowment.  His  house  having  derived 
some  of  its  wealth  from  South  America,  he  was 
anxious  to  give  South  Americans  an  opportunity  of 
embracing  a  purer  faith  than  that  which  prevails  in 
that  country.  He  therefore  joined  the  Anglo- Con- 
tinental Society,  and  he  was  always  ready  with  his 
purse  to  meet  any  expenses  for  living  agency  or  for 
translations  into  Spanish  (a  language  with  which  he 
was  himself  well  acquainted),  such  as  might  be  useful 
for  Spanish  Americans.  His  interest  extended  to 
Spain,  and  he  made  himself  answerable  for  the  stipend 
of  Antonio  Vallespinosa,  a  young  Catalan,  who,  desir- 
ing to  embrace  Protestantism,  had  come  to  England, 
and,  after  some  years'  instruction,  had  been  ordained  a 
deacon  in  England  by  the  Bishop  of  Gibraltar,  and 
appointed  by  him  to  hold  in  Gibraltar  a  service  in 
accordance  with  the  Anglican  Prayer-Book  translated 
into  Spanish.  This  was  before  General  Prim's  Revolu- 
tion of  1868,  and  he  continued  to  hold  the  service  till 
that  revolution  occurred,  when,  like  Cabrera  and  others, 
he  passed  from  Gibraltar  into  Spain.  During  this 
time  Mr.  W.  Gibbs  supplied  me  with  funds  for  the 
stipend  and  necessary  expenses  of  the  young  deacon. 
Mr.  Gibbs  looked  out  for  opportunities  for  doing 
kindnesses  to  all  about  him.  His  daughter,  unhappily, 
suffered  from  an  affection  of  the  lungs,  and  for  her 
benefit  he  called  in  a  medical  man  who  professed  to 
employ  improved  methods,  and  required  his  patient  to 
visit  him  every  day,  for  which  visit  he  charged  two 
guineas.  My  own  health  had  broken  down,  and  I 
had  come  to  London  to  see  my  physician.  Mr.  Gibbs 
asked  me  to  take  a  drive  with  him,  and  as  we  were 
coming  back  he  laid  his  hand  on  my  arm,  saying: 
1  My  dear  friend,  I  want  you  to  do  a  kindness  for  rne. 


i8;8]  WILLIAM  GIBBS  297 

I  am  going  into  the  country  to-morrow  with  most  of 
my  household,  but  I  shall  leave  some  of  my  servants, 
and  I  want  you  and  Mrs.  Meyrick  to  be  kind  enough 
to  live  in  my  house  as  my  guests,  excusing  my  absence, 
and  then  the  visits  to  the  doctor  can  go  on  just  as 
usual,  you  taking  the  place  of  my  daughter,  and  the 
doctor  sending  in  his  usual  account  to  me  at  the  end.' 
Then,  without  waiting  for  me  to  speak,  he  went  on 
hurriedly  to  say  how  much  he  wished  me  to  recover 
my  health,  and  that  this  doctor  might  be  so  useful  to 
me,  etc.  When  I  got  in  a  word,  and  showed  that  I 
understood  the  kindness  of  the  offer,  he  threw  off  the 
idea  as  one  not  to  be  considered.  *  My  dear  friend, 
God  has  given  me  so  much  money  that  sometimes  I 
don't  know  how  best  to  use  it  so  as  to  please  Him. 
This  will  be  a  kindness  to  me,  and  I  hope  a  benefit  to 
the  Church.'  His  kind  old  face  put  on  such  a  pleading 
and  deprecatory  look  as  he  urged  his  offer  that  I  found 
it  hard  to  say  no.  But  I  was  not  able  to  accept  his 
proposal.  At  the  time  that  I  was  Preacher  at  White- 
hall Chapel,  I  generally,  during  the  London  season, 
had  luncheon  with  Lord  and  Lady  Salisbury  (father 
and  stepmother  to  the  Prime  Minister)  in  Arlington 
Street,  and  dined  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibbs  in  Hyde 
Park  Gardens,  returning  to  Oxford  by  the  evening 
train. 

In  1880  I  went  abroad  to  Pau,  Biarritz,  and 
Hyeres.  At  Hyeres,  in  the  spring  of  1882,  a  tame 
sparrow  flew  into  the  room  in  which  my  daughters 
were  being  given  a  drawing  lesson,  and  on  their 
bringing  him  to  me  he  took  an  extraordinary  fancy 
to  me.  His  greatest  delight  was  then,  and  for  several 
years  afterwards,  to  sit  in  my  sleeve,  from  which, 
when  we  were  by  ourselves,  he  would  come  out  and 
hop  over  the  paper  when  I  was  writing,  and  seize  my 
pen  in  his  beak,  looking  up  at  me  at  the  same  time  in 
a  merry  way  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye.  I  brought 


298  HY£RES  [1882 

him  home  to  England  with  me,  and  there  he  selected  as 
his  special  perch  a  particular  row  of  my  books  near  the 
door  in  my  study,  from  which  he  would  descend  on  the 
head  of  any  whose  entrance  into  the  room  he  disliked, 
and  beat  them  with  his  wings,  scolding  all  the  time  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  but  doing  them  no  injury.  Several 
times  he  flew  through  the  window  into  the  garden  to 
the  top  of  a  tall  oak-tree,  but  on  my  going  out  and 
calling  him  he  would  come  down  and  pitch  on  my 
head,  and  so  allow  me  to  carry  him  indoors  again. 
When  he  had  gone  to  sleep  for  the  night,  if  anyone 
else  came  near  him,  he  scolded  with  the  greatest 
indignation,  but  always  received  me  with  soft  little 
sounds  of  affection.  After  four  years  I  had  to  leave 
home  for  several  months  without  him,  when  he  pined 
away  and  died,  apparently  of  grief. 

A  curious  story  was  connected  with  him  while  at 
Hyeres.  One  of  the  visitors,  named  Lady  James,  lost 
a  favourite  canary,  and  was  greatly  distressed  in  con- 
sequence. Madame  Joseph,  a  Frenchwoman,  hearing 
this,  thought  that  she  saw  an  opportunity  of  making 
a  little  money,  so  she  came  and  demanded  of  us  the 
sparrow  as  having  belonged  to  herself  and  being  such 
a  favourite  with  her  that  she  could  not  part  with  him. 
Not  being  able  to  disprove  her  story,  we  gave  him 
up  to  her,  and  she  immediately  carried  him  to  Sir 
Kingston  James  for  a  present  to  his  wife ;  but  Pierrot, 
as  he  was  named,  would  have  nothing  to  say  to  Lady 
James,  and  only  flew  at  her  and  pecked  her  furiously. 
Sir  Kingston  then  determined  to  return  him  to 
Madame  Joseph.  Meantime  I  had  learnt  that  Pierrot 
had  never  belonged  to  Madame  Joseph,  but  to  a  Mr. 
Sweeny,  who  had  purposely  set  him  free,  because  he 
pecked  his  servant.  We  were  quite  welcome  to  him, 
he  said.  I  therefore  told  Sir  Kingston  James  that  I 
declined  to  allow  the  bird  to  go  back  to  Madame 
Joseph,  and  resumed  possession  of  him.  In  the  idle- 


i88i]  COUNT  H.  DI  CAMPELLO  299 

ness  of  a  foreign  hotel  Pierrot's  history  became  the 
subject  of  a  drama,  called  '  The  Comedy  of  the  Birds.' 

During  our  stay  at  Hyeres  we  had  a  visit  from 
Archbishop  Plunket,  who  was  inquiring  into  the  pro- 
gress of  Church  reform  in  Italy.  Italy  had  her  chance 
of  setting  up  a  National  Church  apart  from  the  Papacy, 
and  she  lost  it  in  1866,  just  as  France  had  a  similar 
chance  and  lost  it  in  1801.  What  has  been  the  result 
in  both  countries  ?  Speaking  generally,  it  has  been 
that  the  men  in  both  countries  have  given  up  belief  in 
Christianity,  regarding  it  only  as  a  useful  discipline 
for  women.  In  Italy  the  generation  that  had  made  its 
effort  after  self-reform  in  the  sixties,  remained  silent  in 
sullenness  or  despair,  while  Dollinger  in  Germany 
and  Loyson  in  France  were  making  their  protest  in 
the  seventies. 

In  1 88 1  a  movement  on  a  much  smaller  scale  than 
that  in  the  sixties  commenced  in  Italy.  Count  Henry 
di  Campello,  Canon  of  St.  Peter's,  Rome,  threw 
up  his  canonry,  and  declared  himself  no  longer 
able  to  take  his  part  in  maintaining  the  Papal 
system.  In  1861  the  Pope  had  conferred  upon  him  a 
canonry  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Maggiore,  and 
in  1867  translated  him  to  St.  Peter's.  At  first  he 
thought  that  reform  might  take  its  rise  within  the 
Roman  Church,  and  for  this  purpose  he  claimed  the 
ancient  right  of  the  clergy  and  people  of  Rome, 
usurped  by  the  College  of  Cardinals,  to  elect  the  Pope. 
With  this  view  he  formed  an  Italian  Catholic  *  Associa- 
tion for  the  Revindication  of  Rights  belonging  to  the 
Christian  People,'  which  was  excommunicated  as  soon 
as  its  existence  became  known  to  the  Pope.  Finding 
that  nothing  could  be  done  from  within,  Campello 
wrote  to  Cardinal  Borromeo  resigning  his  canonry; 
'  No  other  course,'  he  said,  '  being  open  to  him  as  a 
Christian  or  Italian  citizen.'  To  make  an  entire 
breach  between  himself  and  the  Italian  Curia,  he  read 


300  COUNT  H.  DI  CAMPELLO  [1886 

his  letter  of  renunciation  at  a  public  meeting.  But  in 
giving  up  Popery  he  guarded  himself  against  being 
thought  to  have  swerved  from  the  true  Catholic  faith, 
by  declaring  :  '  I  accept  whole  and  entire  the  faith  of 
the  Christian  Catholic  and  Apostolic  Church,  which 
was  formally  expressed  in  the  ancient  creed  of  Nicaea.' 

The  case  was  laid  before  Archbishop  Tait,  who,  after 
consultation  with  the  other  members  of  a  committee 
of  the  Lambeth  Conference,  delegated  the  supervision 
of  him  to  the  Bishop  of  Long  Island,  who  was  the 
superintendent  of  the  American  congregations  on  the 
Continent.  The  Bishop,  accepting  the  charge  'as  a 
Bishop  in  the  Church  of  God,'  gave  Campello  a  license 
to  execute  his  functions  as  a  dispenser  of  the  Word  of 
God  and  of  His  holy  Sacraments.  Acting  on  this 
license,  Campello  formed  a  congregation  in  Rome, 
where  he  was  joined  by  Monsignor  Savarese,  a 
learned  but  unstable  man,  who  after  a  time  went 
back  to  the  Roman  communion.  Before  he  fell  away 
from  his  faith,  he  had  prepared  a  liturgy  in  the  Italian 
tongue,  which  was  used  in  the  congregations  of  the 
reformed  communions. 

Count  Henry  di  Campello  paid  me  two  visits. 
The  first  was  shortly  after  his  rejection  of  the 
Papal  authority,  when  he  was  naturally  anxious  to 
find  sympathy  in  England.  The  second  time,  in  1886, 
he  came  in  great  distress,  Savarese  being  about  to 
return  to  the  Roman  communion  through  fear  of  not 
finding  sufficient  support  as  a  reformer  to  maintain 
him  suitably,  and  (it  so  happened)  the  Bishop  of  Long 
Island  at  the  same  moment  resigning  his  office  of 
superintending  American  congregations  on  the  Con- 
tinent and  supervising  Campello's  work.  To  meet 
the  latter  difficulty,  Bishop  John  Wordsworth,  at  the 
desire  of  Archbishop  Benson,  undertook  the  office 
given  up  by  the  Bishop  of  Long  Island,  so  far  as 
Campello  was  concerned.  In  regard  to  his  other 


1886]  COUNT  H.  DI  CAMPELLO  301 

troubles,  Archbishop  Plunket  instituted  a  society  for 
granting  financial  support  to  the  Italian  reformers, 
called  '  The  Italian  Church  Reform  Association,'  and 
Campello  requested  me  to  undertake  the  revision  of 
the  liturgy  prepared  by  Savarese,  the  more  as  Savarese 
claimed  for  himself  the  copies  hitherto  in  use  in  the 
churches.  Undertaking  to  give  what  help  I  could  in 
this  direction,  I  engaged  the  interest  of  Archbishop 
Plunket  in  the  subject.  Consequently,  many  days  and 
nights  were  devoted  by  the  Archbishop  and  myself  to 
the  revision  of  the  liturgy  and  the  framing  of  Offices 
for  Matins  and  Vespers,  for  Baptism  and  the  Occa- 
sional Services,  out  of  manuscript  material  supplied 
by  Campello.  When  the  preliminary  work  had  been 
thus  done,  the  revised  book  was  taken  to  Bishop  John 
Wordsworth,  as  the  Bishop  in  charge  of  the  Italian 
Mission,  and  was  reconsidered  by  us  with  him  at 
meetings  in  the  Lollards'  Tower  of  Lambeth  Palace. 
The  Liturgy  or  Communion  Service  was  then  recom- 
mended to  the  Italian  Synod,  and,  being  approved  by 
it,  was  brought  into  use  in  every  Old  Catholic  congre- 
gation in  Italy.  The  remaining  parts  of  the  Prayer- 
Book  did  not  receive  their  final  shape  till  1903,  when 
they  were  reconsidered  and  completed  by  Professor 
Mayor  and  Signor  Cichitti.  Bishop  Herzog,  the 
Swiss  Bishop,  presided  over  the  first  Italian  Synod, 
and  ordained  deacons  and  priests  when  need  required, 
after  an  examination  which  had  satisfied  Bishop 
Wordsworth  of  the  candidate's  competency. 

A  grave  question  arose  as  to  the  consecration  of 
Campello  as  Bishop.  On  the  one  hand,  he  was  the 
leader  of  those  who  took  part  in  the  movement,  and 
there  wras  no  one  who  could  be  placed  over  his  head ; 
on  the  other,  he  had  not  all  the  qualities  desirable  in 
a  Bishop.  Especially,  he  had  the  hasty  temper  often 
found  in  Italians,  and  a  want  of  quiet  firmness  and 
confidence  when  difficulties  arose.  The  question  was 


302  PROFESSOR  CICHITTI  [1903 

placed  in  the  hands  of  Canon  Thornton,  who  went  to 
Italy  to  make  inquiries  on  the  spot.  The  Synod 
chose  Campello  as  Bishop-elect,  and  he  was  recog- 
nised in  this  capacity  by  his  English  friends  on  their 
receiving  Canon  Thornton's  report ;  but  he  was  never 
consecrated.  In  his  old  age  his  infirmities,  both  in 
body  and  mind,  grew  upon  him,  and  in  reply  to  one 
of  his  letters  I  advised  him  to  resign  his  office.  He 
did  so ;  but,  pressed  with  financial  difficulties,  and  so 
broken  down  by  sickness  as  not  to  be  master  of  him- 
self, he  followed  the  example  of  Savarese,  and  recon- 
ciled himself  to  the  Roman  Church.  He  died  in  1903, 
and  the  reformed  communion  organized  itself  afresh 
under  the  presidency  of  Professor  Cichitti,  who  had 
been  ordained  by  Bishop  Herzog,  and  was  nominated 
by  the  Synod  as  Bishop-elect. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

The  West  Indies— Codrington— J.  A.  Froude— The  West  Indian 
Question — Bishop  Rawle. 

IN  1886  I  accepted  an  invitation  of  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  conveyed  to  me  through 
Lord  Stamford,  to  undertake  the  headship  of  Codring- 
ton College,  Barbados,  for  a  year.  This  college  had 
been  established  by  the  society  under  the  will  of 
Christopher  Codrington,  and  it  serves  as  the  theological 
training  college  for  all  the  West  Indian  Islands.  Cod- 
rington had  been  educated  at  Christ  Church,  and 
became  a  Fellow  of  All  Souls  in  1690.  He  was  a 
warm  supporter  of  William  III.,  and  followed  him  to 
Flanders  in  1694.  Returning  from  service  in  the  field, 
he  was  appointed  by  the  King  Captain-General  of  the 
Caribbean  Islands  in  succession  to  his  father.  Having 
held  this  office  for  a  few  years,  he  retired  to  his  estates 
in  Barbados.  At  his  death  he  left  to  All  Souls 
College  his  books  and  £10,000  to  erect  the  library  in 
which  they  might  be  placed.  His  two  plantations  in 
Barbados  he  left  to  the  Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Gospel,  with  instructions  to  take  care  of  the 
negroes  and  to  establish  a  college,  similar  to  the 
colleges  of  Oxford,  consisting  of  Professors  and  scholars 
who  should  study  divinity  and  medicine,  but  leaving 
the  particulars  of  the  institution  to  be  determined  at 
the  discretion  of  the  society.  The  society  at  once 
sent  out  a  catechist  to  instruct  the  slaves,  and  after 

303 


304       CODRINGTON  COLL.,  BARBADOS     [1886 

some  difficulties  had  been  surmounted  the  present 
college  was  established.  Having  two  such  Principals 
as  Finder  and  Rawle,  the  college  became  the  alma 
mater  of  the  West  Indian  clergy,  and  established  the 
Pongas  Mission  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa.  Some 
years  before  my  arrival  the  college  had  been  connected 
with  Durham  University,  and  the  examination  papers 
used  at  Durham  were  sent  to  Barbados  for  use  by  the 
Codrington  students,  and  returned  to  Durham  for  the 
judgment  of  the  Durham  examiners.  A  successful 
student  of  Codrington  College  was  therefore  equal  in 
position  and  reputation  to  a  B.  A.  of  Durham,  and  he  was 
allowed  to  take  his  Bachelor's  degree  at  that  University 
in  his  absence.  There  were  about  twenty  students 
during  the  year  that  I  presided  over  the  college.  But 
Barbados  was  at  that  time  suffering,  as  it  has  ever  since 
suffered,  from  the  depression  of  the  price  of  cane-sugar, 
and  Codrington's  estates,  which  had  been  calculated 
to  produce  £2,000  a  year,  had  now  very  much  decreased 
in  value.  A  Principal,  a  tutor,  a  medical  lecturer,  and 
a  missionary  clergyman  for  the  blacks,  who  had  been 
till  lately  slaves,  had  to  be  provided,  and  most  of  the 
students  required  help  for  their  college  expenses. 

Of  the  students  in  my  charge,  two  were  quite  black, 
two  were  brown,  and  the  rest  were  white,  being  the 
sons  of  English  planters.  One  of  the  black  students 
was  a  son  of  Bishop  Holly  of  Haiti,  who,  being  him- 
self an  African,  had  married  one  of  the  Caribbean 
Indian  women.  Of  this  old  race  there  are  not  many 
remaining.  Most  of  the  survivors  are  settled  in  the 
island  of  St.  Vincent.  My  student  at  Codrington 
College  had  inherited  from  his  mother  the  straight 
nose,  and  refined  lips,  and  straight  hair,  which  dis- 
tinguish the  Caribs  from  the  Africans.  There  was  no 
ill-will  between  the  black,  brown,  and  white  students 
at  the  college,  all  of  whom  lived  together  on  the  most 
friendly  terms  and  studied  the  same  books  in  the  same 


i886]  WEST  INDIAN  NEGROES  305 

classes.  I  found  no  difference  in  the  capacities  of 
black  and  white  at  the  age  during  which  they  were 
under  instruction ;  but  there  was  not  so  much  staying 
power  in  the  blacks,  and  they  could  not  equal  their 
white  rivals  in  after-life.  It  was  singular  to  see  how 
little  jealousy  and  antagonism  existed  between  the 
two  races  throughout  the  islands.  Both  at  Bridgetown 
in  Barbados  and  at  Port  of  Spain  in  Trinidad,  I  preached 
in  the  cathedral  to  a  congregation  of  several  thousands 
made  up  of  blacks  and  whites  intermixed  one  with 
another.  And  yet  it  had  been  only  one  generation 
ago,  just  before  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves,  that 
the  authorities  at  Bridgetown  had  fined  a  clergyman 
for  having  so  transgressed  proprieties  as  to  administer 
the  Holy  Communion  to  some  black  slaves  with  their 
masters.  The  fine  was  only  one  shilling,  but  Bishop 
Coleridge,  who  had  just  gone  out  to  the  West  Indies 
as  Bishop,  wrote  home  to  the  Secretary  of  State  in 
England,  and  had  the  fine  formally  remitted. 

Connected  with  the  college,  there  was  a  mission 
chapel  for  the  labourers  on  the  estates,  at  which  I 
occasionally  officiated.  The  emotional  piety  of  the 
blacks  was  very  great,  and  the  churchwardens,  them- 
selves black  men,  had  to  be  careful  to  prevent  men 
morally  unfit  from  attending  the  Holy  Communion. 
The  congregations  of  blacks  were  as  well  behaved  and 
as  attentive  to  the  service  as  any  congregations  in 
England.  Unhappily,  however,  their  emotional  religion 
was  not  always  connected  with  high  moral  conduct ; 
but  what  was  to  be  expected  of  those  who  had  only 
been  free  men  and  free  women  for  one  generation  ? 

An  occurrence  which  took  place  at  the  college  ex- 
hibited'some  characteristics  of  the  negro  in  their  least 
satisfactory  form. 

The  college,  comprising  the  Principal's  house, 
stands  in  beautiful  grounds,  planted  with  palm-trees 
and  other  shrubs  and  trees.  One  evening  I  was  taking 

20 


306  CODRINGTON  COLLEGE         [1886-87 

a  late  stroll  by  moonlight,  when  I  was  surprised  to  see 
someone  coming  towards  me.  As  soon  as  he  saw  me, 
I  noticed  that  he  passed  behind  one  of  the  palm-trees, 
and  then  came  forward  to  meet  me.  I  asked  him  what 
he  was  doing,  and  he  said  that  he  was  the  brother  of 
the  college  gardener,  and  was  acting  as  watchman  for 
his  brother. 

Some  conversation  passed  between  us,  and  I  pro- 
ceeded on  my  way.  When  I  reached  the  palm-tree,  I 
found  that  behind  it  was  deposited  a  sack  half  full  of 
potatoes.  Calling  the  man  back,  I  asked  what  it  meant. 
He  said  that  they  were  his  brother's  potatoes,  grown 
in  his  own  patch  of  ground,  and  that  he  was  carrying 
them  home  for  him.  I  desired  that  he  would  call 
on  me  the  next  morning  to  make  a  full  explanation. 
The  next  morning  he  did  not  appear,  and  I  told  the 
gardener  to  send  him  to  me.  About  the  middle  of  the 
day  he  entered  my  room,  saying,  in  an  off-hand  manner, 
'  I  believe,  Mr.  Principal,  you  wish  to  speak  to  me.' 
'  Yes,'  I  said  :  '  I  want  to  know  about  those  potatoes.' 
'  Potatoes !'  he  said,  with  a  blank  face  of  amazement 
— '  what  potatoes  ?' 

I  Those  that  you  had  last  night.' 

I 1  can't  think   what   the    Principal  can  be  talking 
about,'   he   replied  ;    '  I   don't   know   anything  about 
potatoes,'  nor  would  anything  induce  him  to  confess. 

I  told  him  that  he  was  to  come  back  in  the  course  of 
two  hours  and  make  acknowledgment,  or  it  would  be 
the  worse  for  him,  and  I  sent  his  brother  to  give  him 
the  same  instruction. 

At  the  end  of  the  two  hours  I  heard  a  timid  knock 
at  the  door,  and  in  he  came  in  a  deprecating  fashion, 
saying,  '  I  hope  the  Principal  will  overlook  it  this  time.' 

I  made  him  take  back  the  potatoes  to  the  place 
they  had  come  from,  and,  after  giving  him  a  severe 
warning,  let  the  matter  pass.  The  blacks  have  not 
yet  enjoyed  their  freedom  long  enough  to  get  rid  of 


i886-87]        WEST  INDIAN  NEGROES  307 

peccadilloes  of  this  sort,  but  they  are  thoroughly 
trustworthy  in  greater  matters. 

During  the  Trinidad  Races  it  is  customary  for  owners 
to  leave  their  houses,  which  stand  round  the  course, 
unprotected,  and  nothing  is  ever  lost  from  them ;  but 
the  temptation  to  take  a  few  potatoes,  or  perhaps  a 
worthless  old  piece  of  wood,  is  very  difficult  for  the 
negro  to  resist.  There  was  never  any  risk  to  plate  or 
valuables  left  unprotected.  Our  butler  was  equal  in 
honesty  and  in  attention  to  the  very  best  of  English 
butlers,  and  I  shall  not  easily  forget  his  despair  when 
a  spoon  had  disappeared  while  we  were  giving  a  large 
tea-party  in  the  park,  which,  however,  was  found  to 
be  quite  safe  after  the  party  had  broken  up.  None 
could  be  more  faithful  and  affectionate  to  their  masters 
and  mistresses  than  black  servants,  and  they  exhibit  a 
courtesy  unknown  to  Englishmen  of  the  same  rank. 
When  they  have  plenty  to  eat  they  are  tempted  to  be 
idle,  because  they  never  think  of  yesterday  or  to- 
morrow, but  only  of  to-day.  When,  however,  they 
really  work,  they  can  do  as  much  as  an  English  navvy, 
and  with  far  better  temper.  I  suppose  that  no  subjects 
of  the  English  Crown  are  so  happy,  loyal,  and  con- 
tented, as  the  blacks  of  the  West  Indian  Islands,  and 
that  in  spite  of  efforts  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Pope 
Hennessy,  when  Governor,  to  teach  them  the  dangerous 
arts  of  political  combination  and  agitation. 

The  case  of  the  West  Indian  planter  in  1886-1887 
was  very  grievous,  as  it  is  at  the  present  day.  This 
was  owing  to  the  subsidies  paid  by  Continental 
Governments  to  the  growers  of  beetroot,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  they  were  able  to  put  sugar  into  the 
market  at  a  lower  rate  than  that  at  which  it  could 
be  produced.  The  result  was  ruin  to  the  Barbados 
planters,  who  had  given  up  the  whole  of  the  island 
to  the  cultivation  of  cane-sugar,  which  now  would 
not  pay  for  its  transmission  to  Europe.  Morning 

20 — 2 


308  THE  WEST  INDIES  [1886-87 

after  morning  we  used  to  hear  of  planters  becom- 
ing bankrupt.  A  bitter  feeling  naturally  arose  in 
their  minds :  they  argued  that  England  was  rich  and 
powerful,  that  Barbados  was  an  English  colony 
which  was  being  ruined  by  no  fault  of  its  own,  and 
that  England,  therefore,  was  bound  to  help  it  in  one 
way  or  another,  either  by  preventing  the  markets  of 
the  world  from  being  made  unfairly  favourable  to 
beet-growers,  or  else  by  subsidizing  the  cane-growers 
to  such  an  extent  that  they  could  compete  with  the 
subsidized  beet-growers.  The  sentiment  through- 
out the  colony  was  that,  if  it  was  worth  the  while  of 
the  Continental  Governments  to  pay  a  sum  of  money 
to  beet-growers  in  order  to  keep  the  people  from 
emigrating,  it  was  worth  England's  while  to  pay  to 
cane-growers  in  like  manner  enough  to  save  them 
from  ruin.  Taking  no  higher  view  than  £  s.  d., 
it  would  pay  England  to  make  the  small  expenditure 
that  was  necessary ;  and  besides  this,  was  it  nothing 
to  have  and  to  retain  this  beautiful  colony  in  the 
tropics,  once  counted  the  fairest  jewel  in  the  English 
Crown  ?  Was  it  nothing  to  have  English  officials 
ruling,  and  English  influence  predominating,  4,000 
miles  from  the  seat  of  the  Central  Government  ?  Was 
it  nothing  to  have  this  vast  outlet  for  our  home 
population,  where  in  ordinary  times  men  who  are 
willing  to  work  can  earn  a  competency  and  rise  to 
wealth?  Nay,  further,  was  it  wise  to  let  our  West 
Indian  industry  be  ruined  with  the  likelihood  of  the 
foreign  subsidies  being  hereafter  withdrawn,  in  which 
case  the  price  of  beet-sugar  would  rise  to  the  present 
price  of  cane-sugar  ?  The  tone  of  the  West  Indian 
mind  was  that  of  sons  and  relatives  hurt  by  neglect 
where  they  looked  for  sympathy.  Such  a  state  of 
mind  is  dangerous  to  disregard  : 

'  For  to  be  wrath  with  those  we  love 
Doth  work  like  madness  in  the  brain.' 


i886-87]  J.  ANTHONY  FROUDE  309 

Yet  nothing  was  done  by  England  to  prevent  so 
flourishing  a  limb  of  the  body  politic  from  withering 
and  dropping  off  for  the  lack  of  a  little  blood  which 
the  heart  could  supply  without  feeling  the  loss,  until 
Mr.  Chamberlain  became  Secretary  for  the  Colonies, 
and  then  at  length,  in  1902-1903,  steps  were  taken 
by  him  and  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  to  put  an 
end  to  the  foreign  subsidies,  and  meantime  to  help 
the  West  Indies  by  an  annual  grant  until  those 
subsidies  should  be  withdrawn. 

The  visit  of  Mr.  J.  Anthony  Froude  to  the  West 
Indies  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  their  estate, 
and  making  it  known  in  England,  took  place  during 
the  year  that  I  was  in  Barbados.  Mr.  Froude  was  to 
have  paid  a  visit  to  me  at  Codrington  College,  where 
his  brother  once  held  office,  but  he  was  prevented 
from  doing  so  through  lack  of  time.  I  went  to  Bridge- 
town to  meet  him,  and  spent  a  day  with  him  at  the 
house  of  the  Governor,  Sir  Charles  Lees.  Froude  had 
been  at  Oxford  just  before  my  time  there,  and  had  left 
many  memories  of  himself  at  the  University.  He  came 
up  ear-marked  as  one  of  Newman's  followers,  being 
the  younger  brother  of  Hurrell  Froude,  Newman's 
great  friend  and  admirer.  Newman  employed  him 
to  write  one  of  the  series  of  Lives  of  the  Saints,  which 
he  was  editing,  and  a  characteristic  of  these  publica- 
tions was  to  accept  any  idle  legends,  specially  if  they 
were  miraculous,  for  the  genuine  history  of  the  saint 
in  question.  When  Newman  joined  the  Church  of 
Rome,  the  reaction  took  place  in  Froude's  mind, 
which  must  have  come  at  some  time  or  other. 
He  would  not  follow  Newman  to  Rome,  nor  did  he 
care  to  stand  shivering  about  the  brink ;  he  saw  that 
a  natural  result  of  Newman's  teaching  was  to  produce 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  did  not  accept  it  an  angry 
hostility  and  disbelief,  and  he  put  himself  mentally  in 
that  attitude.  He  wrote  two  tales,  The  Shadows  of 


3io  THE  WEST  INDIES  [1886-87 

the  Clouds  and  The  Nemesis  of  Faith,  from  this  point 
of  view,  but  they  represented  rather  his  theoretical 
apprehension  of  what  might  be  than  his  own  real 
position.  For  himself  he  chose  the  position  of  an 
eighteenth-century  Protestant,  unemotional,  unecclesi- 
astical,  and  unspiritual,  but  not  unbelieving. 

His  two  tales  were  read  a  good  deal  by  the  Oxford 
undergraduates,  and  were  supposed  by  tutors  to  be 
mischievous.  On  one  occasion  an  undergraduate  at 
Exeter  College  brought  into  the  hall  at  the  time  of 
the  college  examination  a  copy  of  The  Nemesis  of 
Faith.  It  was  a  transgression  of  rules  to  bring  in  any 
book,  and  Dr.  William  Sewell,  who  was  conducting  the 
.examination,  seeing  the  book,  desired  that  it  might 
be  delivered  to  him.  Finding  what  the  book  was,  he 
shook  his  head,  and  said :  *  Shall  I  show  you  the 
best  place  for  this  book  ?'  '  If  you  please,  sir,'  said 
the  undergraduate  with  a  smile ;  whereupon  Sewell 
walked  across  the  hall  and  put  it  on  the  fire.  Extra- 
ordinary exaggerations  of  this  occurrence  were  made, 
and  it  was  reported  in  and  out  of  Oxford  that  Sewell 
had  made  a  bonfire  of  Froude's  books  in  the  quad- 
rangle. Some  years  afterwards  I  spent  a  day  at 
Froude's  house  in  Devonshire,  and  found  him  using 
Bishop  Blomfield's  book  of  family  prayer  in  most 
orthodox  fashion. 

At  the  time  that  he  came  on  his  visit  to  Barbados, 
Froude  had  made  his  reputation  by  his  great  his- 
torical work,  in  which  he  proved  himself  to  possess  an 
unusual  power  of  handling  the  English  language.  He 
had  just  brought  out  his  book  called  Oceana,  and  soon 
after  his  return  to  England  there  appeared  his  English 
in  the  West  Indies,  the  gist  of  which  is  as  follows  : 

i.  If  the  West  Indies  are  left  to  drift  as  at  present, 
the  result  will  be  the  disappearance  of  the  white 
population,  and  the  establishment  of  negro  communi- 
ties throughout  the  islands. 


i886-87]  J.  ANTHONY  FROUDE  311 

2.  The  consequences  of  such  an  abandonment  on 
the  part  of  the  whites  would  be  the  creation  of  such 
monstrous  republics  as  that  of  Haiti,  which  is  '  Paris 
in  the  gutter/  where  the  negroes  have  gone  back  in 
secret  to  serpent-worship  and  cannibalism  while  pro- 
fessing to  be  Roman  Catholics. 

3.  The  reason  why  the  whites  are  abandoning,  and 
will  continue  to  abandon,  the  colony  is  the  extension 
of  the  suffrage,  and  the  policy  which  places  blacks 
and    whites    on    an    equality,    which    equality  must 
become  a  black  supremacy,  owing  to  the  superiority 
in   numbers   on    the   part   of   the    blacks,   and    their 
constant  increase. 

4.  The  remedy  is  that  England  should  recognise  the 
difference   between   colonies   and   colonies ;   between 
Australia,  New  Zealand,  Canada,  etc.,  to  which  self- 
government  is  properly  granted,  because  they  are  of 
the  same  instincts  and  character  as  ourselves;  and 
India,  the  West  Indies,  etc.,  where  an  imperial  race 
must  rule  those  that  are  inferior,  dispensing  justice  to 
all  alike,  whether  members  of  the  ruling  or  inferior 
race.      By   applying    the    principle    of    East    Indian 
government  to  the  West  Indies,  Mr.  Froude  believed 
that  the  apprehensions  entertained  by  the  whites  of 
being  ruled  by  black  Parliaments  would  be  removed, 
that  confidence  would  be  restored,  that  capital  would 
return,  and  the  tide  of  prosperity  once  more  set  in 
which  had  been  so  long  ebbing. 

Mr.  Froude's  remedies  were  political,  but  the  West 
Indian  difficulty  was,  and  is,  mainly  commercial.  It 
is  the  low  price  of  sugar  much  more  than  the  fear 
of  political  control  by  blacks  which  makes  English 
people  fly  from  the  islands.  They  fly  from  them,  and 
they  cease  to  crowd  into  them  as  of  old,  because  a 
livelihood  is  to  be  no  longer  made  in  them  by  the 
cadets  of  English  families.  Mr.  Chamberlain's  negotia- 
tions for  the  abolition  of  the  sugar  bounties,  and  the 


312  TRINIDAD  [1886-87 

subsidy  to  the  producers  of  cane-sugar  in  the  West 
Indies,  would  do  more  for  the  colony  than  any  assur- 
ance that  the  hollowness  of  doctrinaire  theories  of 
equality  had  been  recognised  at  home.  Yet  Mr. 
Froude's  advice  may  be  well  pondered  over  by  British 
statesmen.  It  amounts  to  this :  Have  confidence  in 
yourselves,  and  remember  what  in  the  din  of  the 
oratory  of  Parliamentary  demagogues  you  are  liable 
to  forget,  and  are  forgetting :  that  you  have  an  imperial 
task  before  you,  and  it  must  be  performed  imperially, 
or  it  cannot  be  performed  at  all. 

During  the  Christmas  vacation  I  went  to  the  Island 
of  Trinidad,  passing  St.  Vincent  and  Grenada  on  the 
way. 

The  Soufriere,  which  has  since  devastated  St.  Vincent, 
was  at  this  time  calm  and  apparently  peaceful.  Trinidad 
is  a  much  more  beautiful  island  than  Barbados,  as  it 
has  not,  like  the  latter  island,  been  devoted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  the  sugar-cane;  the  hills  are  clothed  with 
verdure,  and  the  cocoa-trees  grow  freely  in  it,  as  it 
is  not  exposed  to  the  trade-winds.  We  stayed  with 
Bishop  Rawle,  one  of  the  very  noble  band  of  colonial 
Bishops  sent  out  by  the  home  Church  in  the  last 
generation,  to  be  reckoned  with  Selwyn,  Gray,  Field, 
Patteson,  and  inferior  to  none  of  them  in  nobleness 
of  life  and  devotion  to  his  Master's  work.  Third 
Wrangler  at  Cambridge,  and  fourth  in  the  first  class 
of  the  Classical  Tripos  in  the  year  1805,  and  Assistant- 
Tutor  at  Trinity  College,  he  undertook  in  1847  the 
office  of  Principal  of  Codrington  College,  Barbados, 
where  he  spent  seventeen  }^ears  of  his  life,  and 
to  which  he  returned  in  his  old  age  to  die.  To 
Mr.  Rawle's  energy,  and  the  wise  support  given  him 
by  Mr.  Ernest  Hawkins  and  Mr.  W.  T.  Bullock, 
Secretaries  of  the  S.P.G.,  is  due  the  preservation, 
as  a  theological  college,  of  Codrington  College,  which 
the  Barbadian  authorities  were  desirous  of  turning 


i886-87]  BISHOP  RAWLE  313 

into  a  sort  of  High  School,  whence  some  boys  might 
proceed  to  English  Universities.  On  his  arrival 
Mr.  Rawle  found  only  eight  students,  which  number 
he  soon  raised  to  twenty,  and  in  connection  with 
the  college  he  established  a  mission -house,  where 
coloured  students  might  be  trained  for  work  in 
Africa.  He  would  not  leave  the  principalship  for 
the  bishopric  of  Antigua,  which  was  offered  to  him, 
but  in  1864  his  health  compelled  his  resignation, 
and  he  returned  to  England.  On  recovering,  he  was 
elected  the  first  Bishop  of  Trinidad,  a  position  of 
great  toil  and  difficulty,  of  which  the  chief  recom- 
mendation was  that  it  offered  opportunities  for  God's 
service  and  for  building  up  the  West  Indian  Church. 
In  addition  to  his  episcopal  work,  the  Bishop  under- 
took the  charge  of  a  parish  and  of  a  leper  asylum  and 
hospital.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  he  had  been  in 
residence  for  more  than  twenty  years,  living  in  the 
chief  town  of  the  island,  the  Port  of  Spain,  and 
towering  by  head  and  shoulders  above  everybody 
else  in  the  island.  Every  Sunday  his  cathedral  was 
filled  at  each  service  with  a  congregation  of  about 
2,000  persons  of  every  rank  and  colour.  He  had 
negroes,  coolies,  and  Chinese  under  his  charge,  all 
of  whom  required  different  treatment,  and  most  of  the 
churches  in  the  island  having  fallen  into  disrepair, 
he  rebuilt  them,  being  his  own  architect,  and,  though 
he  was  a  poor  man,  finding  the  greater  part  of  the 
funds  necessary  for  their  restoration. 

At  the  end  of  1887  he  came  to  England  to  recruit 
his  health,  and  there  had  the  irreparable  misfortune 
of  losing  his  wife,  who  had  been  a  sharer  in  all  his 
hopes  and  efforts.  Unable  to  continue  his  work,  he 
resigned  his  bishopric,  and  finding  that  Codrington 
College  was  without  a  Principal,  he  was  induced  once 
more  to  accept  the  office.  But  his  strength  was  now 
almost  exhausted,  and  in  the  spring  of  1889  he  fell 


3H  THE  WEST  INDIES  [1887 

asleep,  and  was  buried  in  the  churchyard  outside  the 
Society's  chapel,  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  overlooking 
his  old  college.  Bishop  Rawle  was  a  true  English 
Churchman,  such  as  the  English  Church  forms  in 
some  of  its  clergy.  There  was  nothing  extravagant 
about  him ;  no  love  of  asceticism  for  its  own  sake ; 
an  absolute  and  entire  freedom  from  cant  and  pre- 
tence. He  was  a  man  who  simply  did  his  duty  to  the 
utmost  of  his  power  in  the  positions  in  which  God 
had  placed  him,  giving  himself  up  to  God's  service 
without  reservation,  without  a  shadow  of  self-con- 
sciousness, or  imagination  that  he  was  ever  doing 
anything  great  or  good. 

At  the  end  of  the  academical  year  I  returned  to 
England,  and  an  occurrence,  slight  as  it  was,  during 
the  voyage  made  me  feel  how  widely  extended  is  the 
belief  that  the  West  Indies  are  a  derelict,  and  a  fair 
spoil  for  any  who  have  more  energy  and  enterprise 
than  their  present  owners.  I  was  conversing  with 
a  fellow-passenger,  whom  I  regarded  as  an  English- 
man, as  his  accent  was  perfect  and  his  knowledge  of 
English  affairs  full.  A  passing  word  of  disparage- 
ment, referring  to  the  straightforwardness  of  Russian 
diplomacy,  brought  a  flash  into  his  eye  and  a  quick 
question  :  '  How  not  straightforward  ?'  I  explained 
that  I  meant  that  Russia  sometimes  concealed  her 
further  purposes.  *  Oh,'  said  he,  *  we  intend  to  have 
India,  if  you  mean  that ;  and,'  he  continued  viciously, 
'as  you  don't  seem  to  know  what  to  do  with  these 
islands  here,  we  will  have  them,  too.'  I  do  not  mean, 
by  recounting  this  conversation,  to  imply  that  there  is 
any  apprehension  from  the  side  of  Russia,  but  the 
answer  bears  corroborative  witness  to  the  fact  that, 
in  the  judgment  of  the  world,  Great  Britain  is  letting 
one  of  her  fairest  colonies  slide,  and  showing  a 
deficiency  of  the  spirit  which  makes  and  which  pre- 
serves empires. 


CHAPTER  XX 

The  North  of  Spain— Valladolid— Salamanca— Villaescusa— 
Madrid — Archbishop  Plunket. 

WHEN  I  left  England  in  1886,  I  have  said  that  an 
arrangement  had  been  made  that  Bishop  John  Words- 
worth of  Salisbury  should  give  episcopal  supervision 
to  the  Italian  Reformers;  that  Lord  Plunket,  Arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  should  raise  money  for  their  support 
by  means  of  the  Italian  Church  Reform  Association; 
and  that  I  should  help  in  the  revision  of  the  existing 
Italian  liturgy,  which  had  been  drawn  up  by  Monsignor 
Savarese,  and  in  the  formation  of  an  Italian  Prayer- 
Book  out  of  manuscript  supplied  by  Count  Campello. 
Archbishop  Plunket's  interest  was  also  engaged  for  the 
work  of  the  revision,  and  to  carry  this  out  effectually, 
as  well  as  for  other  reasons,  I  paid  a  number  of  visits 
to  the  Archbishop  at  Old  Connaught  House,  near 
Bray.  And  this  brought  me  into  very  close  relations 
with  him. 

I  had  first  met  Lord  Plunket  at  the  Conference  at 
Bonn  in  1875,  before  he  had  yet  become  a  Bishop.  His 
large  heart  was  much  moved  at  the  prospect  of  em- 
bracing as  brethren  the  earnest  men  who  had  been 
stirred  into  action  by  the  claims  put  forward  at  the 
Vatican  Council,  and  from  this  time  forward  his  interest 
in  the  Old  Catholic  Reform  Movement  was  keen  and 
constant.  As  soon  as  he  had  returned  from  Bonn  to 
Ireland,  he  forwarded  to  me  £50,  given  by  himself  and 

315 


316  THE  NORTH  OF  SPAIN  [1892 

a  few  Irish  friends,  for  the  support  of  Old  Catholic 
theological  students  at  Bonn,  and  thenceforth  he 
attended  the  Old  Catholic  Congresses  as  far  as  his 
engagements  would  allow.  I  accompanied  him  to  the 
Congress  held  at  Lucerne  in  1892,  at  which  he 
gave  a  sketch  of  the  reformation  in  Ireland,  claiming 
that  the  Irish  Church,  both  by  her  lineage  and  by  the 
character  of  her  teaching,  was  no  other  than  the  Old 
Catholic  Church  of  Ireland,  and  ending  with  an 
expression  of  the  affection  that  he  entertained  for  his 
brother  Bishops — Reinkens,  Herzog,  and  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Patras,  the  last  of  whom  had  come  from 
Greece  to  attend  the  Congress. 

His  warmest  interests  were  for  Spain  and  Portugal, 
for,  feeling  that  the  application  made  from  the 
Peninsula  to  the  Lambeth  Conference  of  1878  for  the 
sympathies  of  the  Anglican  Church  and  episcopal 
help  ought  not  to  be  overlooked,  he  paid  frequent 
visits  to  the  Peninsula,  and  convinced  himself  that 
the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  reformers  were  worthy 
to  receive  the  spiritual  assistance  that  they  had 
asked  for. 

At  the  end  of  1892,  accompanied  by  the  Bishop  of 
Clogher  and  myself,  he  went  to  Madrid  for  the  purpose 
of  consecrating  a  church,  first  paying  a  visit  to  Valla- 
dolid,  Salamanca,  and  Villaescusa,  where  he  held 
Confirmations.  On  his  arrival  at  Madrid,  he  held  a 
Synod  of  the  Spanish  Reformed  Church,  attended  by 
nine  Spanish  presbyters,  the  Bishop  of  Clogher, 
M.  Loyson,  Count  Henry  di  Campello,  Signor  Janni, 
two  English  presbyters,  and  two  English  laymen. 
When  the  time  for  the  consecration  of  the  church 
arrived,  permission  to  proceed  was  refused  by  the 
authorities,  and  the  congregation  that  had  met  for  the 
consecration  were  kept  standing  in  the  street.  The 
Archbishop,  the  Bishop  of  Clogher,  and  rr^self  were 
residing  in  the  clergy-house  adjoining  the  church,  and, 


i892]  ARCHBISHOP  PLUNKET  317 

as  one  entrance  led  to  the  clergy-house  and  to  the 
church,  we  were  told  that  if  we  went  out  from  it  we 
could  not  be  readmitted.  Nothing  could  surpass  the 
'superb  temper'  shown  by  the  Archbishop  in  these 
trying  circumstances.  Judging  that  God's  time  had  not 
yet  come  for  his  intended  action,  he  waited  patiently, 
and  going  out  of  his  house  (for  it  was  his  own  house) 
to  ordain  a  presbyter,  on  the  policeman's  refusal  to 
readmit  him,  he  went  quietly  with  his  companions  to 
an  hotel.  A  change  of  ministry  occurring  two  or  three 
days  subsequently,  it  was  understood  that  no  further 
obstacle  would  be  put  in  the  Archbishop's  way,  pro- 
vided that  a  foliated  cross  inlaid  in  an  outside  wall  was 
removed,  on  the  ground  that  the  cross  symbolized  or 
suggested  that  the  building  was  or  contained  a  church. 
In  matter  of  fact,  when  the  Archbishop,  the  Bishop  of 
Clogher,  and  the  Bishop  of  Down  subsequently  pre- 
sented themselves,  no  objection  was  made  on  the  part 
of  the  State  authorities  to  the  consecration  of  the 
church  or  of  a  Bishop,  though  the  Papal  Nuncio,  some 
devout  ladies  of  Madrid,  and  some  Ultramontane 
newspapers,  tried  in  vain  to  raise  a  disturbance  on 
the  subject. 

The  journey  to  Spain  with  Lord  Plunket  was  full 
of  interest.  The  first  place  that  we  stopped  at  was 
Valladolid,  where  we  were  met  by  Senor  Cabrera  and 
by  Senor  Martinez,  the  latter  of  whom  was  the  clergy- 
man of  the  reformed  congregation  of  the  city.  This 
congregation  was  the  growth  of  twenty-five  years  ;  for 
till  Prim's  Revolution  in  1868  no  Spaniard  dared  call 
himself  a  Protestant  or  breathe  the  name  of  reform. 
After  a  Confirmation  service  held  by  the  Archbishop, 
we  walked  to  the  Campo  Grande,  the  site  of  the  burn- 
ings by  the  Inquisition.  Here  Philip  II.  is  said  to  have 
sat  in  state,  and  allowed  his  soldiers  to  help  the  friars  in 
setting  alight  to  the  faggots  piled  round  the  victims  of 
an  auto-da-fe.  Two  autos-da-fe  were  held  here,  one  in 


3i8  VALLADOLID  [1892 

the  presence  of  the  Regent,  Juana,  the  other  under  the 
eye  of  Philip  himself.  The  first  of  these  autos-da-fe 
was  held  on  Trinity  Sunday,  May  21,  1559.  It  was 
conducted,  as  usual,  by  the  Dominican  friars,  who  led 
to  the  place  of  trial  sixteen  penitents  who  were  to 
suffer  penalties,  and  fourteen  adjudged  impenitent, 
who  were  to  be  burnt.  The  sermon  was  preached 
by  Melchior  Cano,  Bishop  of  the  Canaries,  and  as 
soon  as  the  sentences  were  given,  those  who  were 
condemned  to  death  were  carried  on  the  backs  of  asses 
to  the  Campo  Grande  to  be  burnt.  On  October  8, 1559, 
a  similar  scene  was  enacted,  and  on  a  grander  scale, 
Philip  II.  himself  being  present,  when  thirteen  men 
and  women  were  committed  to  the  flames.  The  sole 
fault  of  the  sufferers  was  their  holding  Protestant 
opinions,  and  their  occasionally  meeting  secretly 
together  for  the  consolation  of  common  prayer.  In 

1559  there  were  1,000  Protestants  in  Valladolid ;   in 

1560  there  was  not  one.     All  of  them  had  been  burnt, 
or  strangled,  or  exiled,  or  imprisoned,  or  driven  into 
conformity.     This  outward  conformity  lasted  till  1868. 
In  1892  I  took  part  in  the  service  in  which  Archbishop 
Plunket  confirmed  fourteen  members  of  a  congrega- 
tion of  some  300  souls.     Some  advance,  therefore,  had 
been  made  towards  liberty  of  conscience  in  Spain. 

From  Valladolid  we  went  to  Salamanca,  especially 
interesting  to  me  as  the  ancient  University  town  of 
Spain.  After  visiting  the  buildings  of  the  University, 
I  made  inquiry  as  to  the  conditions  under  which 
Englishmen  could  receive  a  Salamanca  degree,  Mr. 
Frederick  George  Lee,  like  Titus  Oates,  having 
claimed  to  have  had  the  degree  of  a  Doctor  of  Civil 
Law  granted  him  by  the  University.  I  had  known 
Mr.  Lee  as  an  undergraduate  at  Oxford.  There  he 
was  unable  to  pass  the  first  examination,  called  Re- 
sponsions  or  Little-go,  the  reason  of  which  was  not 
far  to  seek  ;  for,  instead  of  studying  the  books  required 


i892]  SEftOR  HERNANDEZ  319 

by  the  examiners,  he  occupied  himself  in  going  about 
and,  as  he  said,  '  talking  in  behalf  of  the  Catholic 
party.'  Not  content  with  talking,  he  kept  a  triptych 
in  his  rooms,  which  from  time  to  time  he  opened  in 
the  presence  of  congenial  companions,  and  performed 
some  services  before  it,  dressed  as  a  Roman  priest. 
After  many  failures  to  pass  his  Little-go,  the  Uni- 
versity, in  compassion,  allowed  him  to  become  a 
Scholar  of  Civil  Law  without  further  examination,  but 
he  was  unable  to  progress  further  in  his  University 
career.  Having,  however,  gained  the  English  Prize 
Poem,  he  was  ordained,  after  which  he  was  designated 
Doctor  of  Civil  Law  of  the  University  of  Salamanca. 
On  inquiry,  I  was  informed  that  by  a  law  of  1845 
anyone  who  received  a  degree  from  the  Salamanca 
University  had  to  be  (i)  a  Spaniard,  (2)  a  Roman 
Catholic,  (3)  a  student  resident  for  a  certain  length 
of  time,  (4)  one  who  had  passed  the  appointed 
examinations ;  and  that  the  University  insisted  so 
strongly  on  these  conditions  that  it  had  felt  itself 
precluded  from  giving  an  honorary  degree  to  the 
Prime  Minister,  Espartero,  because  he  had  not  fulfilled 
them.  The  Rector  stated  that  the  name  of  Mr.  Lee 
was  unknown  to  him. 

From  Salamanca  we  drove  to  a  large  village  named 
Villaescusa,  where  the  Archbishop  was  expected  for 
a  Confirmation.  As  we  drew  near  to  the  village 
several  groups  of  men  and  women,  about  a  hundred 
in  all,  came  to  welcome  the  Archbishop,  and  he  got 
out  of  the  carriage  and  walked  with  them.  After  a 
service  in  the  church  at  Villaescusa,  I  shook  hands 
and  had  some  conversation  with  Senor  Hernandez, 
whose  story  is  as  follows :  Going  some  years  previ- 
ously to  a  neighbouring  town,  he  had  bought  a  copy 
of  the  New  Testament,  and  was  so  struck  by  it  that 
he  read  it  to  his  sister.  Others  asked  to  hear  it  read 
also,  and  in  this  manner  a  little  congregation  of 


320  VILLAESCUSA  [1892 

inquirers  used  to  meet  at  his  house.  The  priest  of 
the  parish  grew  angry,  and  gave  public  notice  that  on 
the  next  occasion  when  the  image  of  St.  Mary,  called 
St.  Mary  of  the  Elm,  was  carried  round  the  village, 
as  was  usual  every  year,  she  would  show  her  indig- 
nation. When  the  day  came,  and  the  people  gathered 
for  the  procession,  it  appeared  that  St.  Mary  had  lost 
her  arms.  '  This,'  cried  the  sacristan  who  had  charge 
of  the  image,  '  is  the  doing  of  the  Protestants,'  and  one 
of  those  present  said  that  as  he  passed  Hernandez's 
house  he  heard  a  girl  using  the  word  '  arms.'  The 
people  rushed  tumultuously  to  the  house,  and  de- 
manded of  the  girl  what  were  the  arms  which  she  had 
spoken  of.  '  Baby's  arms,'  she  replied  in  great  amaze- 
ment. This  was  regarded  only  as  an  excuse,  and 
Hernandez,  who  was  her  uncle,  was  seized,  carried  off 
to  the  neighbouring  town,  and  imprisoned  in  a  cell 
lighted  only  from  the  top,  for  having  stolen  the  arms 
of  the  Virgin  of  the  Elm.  Here  he  was  kept  for  about 
a  fortnight  without  trial.  But  meantime  the  Guardias 
Civiles  had  been  summoned  to  Villaescusa  to  in- 
vestigate the  charge,  and  they  found  that  the  arms 
had  been  unscrewed,  and  were  lying  hidden  under 
some  hay  in  a  stable  to  which  the  sacristan  had  access. 
The  discovery  of  this  fraud  created  a  great  revulsion 
of  feeling  in  Villaescusa  against  the  worshippers  of 
the  Virgin  of  the  Elm.  Hernandez  was  delivered 
from  his  prison,  and  his  few  readers  of  the  Scripture 
swelled  into  a  large  body,  for  whom  a  church  was 
built,  which  was  attended  on  the  day  that  I  was  there 
by  400  persons,  of  whom  forty  were  confirmed. 

Before  leaving  Villaescusa  I  had  an  instance  ol 
Spanish  courtesy  and  good  manners.  The  rest  of  the 
party  were  out  of  the  house,  when  fifteen  schoolgirls 
came  to  pay  us  a  visit.  As  I  was  the  only  one  at 
home,  they  introduced  themselves  to  me,  sat  round 
the  brazier,  and  talked  with  the  greatest  ease  of 


i892]  CHURCH  IN  MADRID  321 

manner,  and  at  the  same  time  with  the  utmost  respect. 
They  told  me  which  of  them  had  been  confirmed 
and  which  of  them  were  going  to  be  confirmed, 
described  what  they  had  learnt  at  school,  told  me 
their  names  one  by  one,  asked  what  my  name  was 
and  the  names  of  my  children,  and  made  some  intelli- 
gent inquiries  about  the  state  of  religion  in  England. 
The  Archbishop  and  the  Bishop  on  their  return  were 
surprised  at  finding  me  the  centre  of  an  animated 
group  of  children,  whom  I  then  presented  to  them. 

Having  returned  to  Salamanca,  we  travelled  by 
night  to  Madrid,  and  took  up  our  quarters  at  Senor 
Cabrera's  clergy-house.  Here,  as  I  have  already  said, 
we  were  kept  shut  up,  while  the  congregation,  which 
had  come  for  the  consecration  of  the  church,  was  pre- 
vented entering  by  two  policemen  sent  by  the  Mayor 
of  Madrid.  Bishop  Stack  made  an  effort  to  go  out  in 
order  to  explain  the  circumstances  to  the  disappointed 
congregation  in  the  street.  The  policeman  told  him 
that  if  he  went  out  he  could  not  return  to  the  house. 
*  That  is  stupid,'  said  Mr.  Jameson,  one  of  those  who 
were  standing  in  the  street.  '  You  will  take  back  that 
word/  said  the  policeman,  striding  to  him ;  but  Mr. 
Jameson  had  been  for  a  long  time  a  resident  in  Spain, 
and  he  knew  Spanish  ways.  Drawing  himself  up,  he 
refused  to  do  as  he  was  told,  and  the  policeman 
withdrew  to  the  door  without  further  altercation. 
The  Bishop  returned  and  joined  me  at  the  window, 
where  we  could  watch  the  scene  in  the  street  below ; 
some  of  its  features  were  so  odd  that  we  presently 
began  to  laugh.  The  Archbishop,  looked  up  with 
surprise  at  our  unexpected  light-heartedness,  and  we 
asked  him  to  come  and  join  us.  Our  spirits  gradually 
rose,  and  the  Archbishop,  having  beckoned  a  friend  to 
his  prison  window,  asked  him  to  arrange  for  an 
ordination,  that  he  had  intended  to  hold  in  the  church, 
to  be  held  in  a  room  lent  by  some  Presbyterians 

21 


322  MADRID  AND  LISBON  [1892 

for  the  purpose.  The  ordination  took  place  at  3.30, 
and  Sefior  Regaliza,  who  had  been  ministering  as 
a  deacon  at  Villaescusa,  was  ordained  priest.  Hands 
were  laid  upon  his  head  by  presbyters,  who  repre- 
sented many  Churches.  The  English  Church  was 
represented  by  Dr.  Noyes  and  myself,  the  French  by 
M.  Hyacinthe  Loyson,  the  Italian  by  Count  Henry  di 
Campello,  the  Spanish  by  Sefior  Cabrera,  while  the 
Archbishop  and  the  Bishop  represented  the  Irish 
Church.  After  the  ordination  a  Confirmation  was 
held.  We  then  went  to  the  hotel,  to  which  we  had 
previously  sent  our  luggage,  and  here  M.  Loyson  was 
visited  by  Sefior  Castelar,  the  leader  of  the  advanced 
Liberal  party  in  Spain,  to  express  his  regrets  and 
apologies  for  what  had  taken  place.  The  same  night 
(for  trains  generally  run  by  night  in  Spain)  we  went 
on  to  Lisbon,  and  stayed  at  the  house  of  Canon  Pope, 
and  the  following  night  proceeded  to  Oporto. 

Here  I  was  the  guest  of  Mr.  Andrew  Cassell,  a  man 
who  had  been  ordained  deacon  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Dublin  in  his  private  chapel  in  Dublin,  about  which 
act  of  the  Archbishop  some  scandal  had  arisen,  as 
though  he  had  performed  an  act  of  schism.  I  had 
expected  to  see  a  young  deacon,  but  I  found  an  elderly 
man  of  good  position,  with  a  delightful  household, 
consisting  of  himself  and  eight  children,  the  eldest  of 
whom  was  fifteen.  Three  of  these  were  confirmed 
the  following  day,  together  with  twenty  other  candi- 
dates. In  his  school  there  were  150  children,  and  in  his 
brother's  school  (the  Rev.  James  Cassell)  there  were 
190.  Mr.  James  Cassell  (an  Englishman  born  in 
Portugal)  was  ordained  priest  by  the  Archbishop  on 
the  petition  of  the  Portuguese  or  Lusitanian  Synod,  a 
meeting  of  which  was  held,  attended  by  nine  repre- 
sentatives. The  next  day  we  returned  to  Lisbon. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

Portuguese  Reform  Movement — Senhor  Da  Costa— Bishop  Cabrera's 
consecration — Archbishop  Plunket. 

THE  Reform   Movement  in  Portugal,  though  closely 
connected  with  the  Spanish  movement,  did  not  com- 
mence in  the  same  manner  with  it.    The  first  preacher 
of  reform  in  Portugal  was  Dr.  Gomez,  a  Spanish  eccle- 
siastic who,   being  expelled   from   the   neighbouring 
kingdom  on  account  of  his  Liberal  ideas,  took  refuge 
in  Portugal  about  the  year  1842.     In  1849  the  S.P.C.K. 
published   the   Liturgy   of   the   Anglican   Church   in 
Portuguese.     In  1860  Mrs.  Helen  Roughton,  an  Eng- 
lish lady,  opened  a  school  and  held  a  class  for  Biblical 
study.      In   1867  the  Rev.  Angel  Herreros  de  Mora, 
another  persecuted  Spaniard,  fled  to  Lisbon,  and  there 
instituted  a  congregation  for  reformed   worship.     In 
1870,  after  the  expulsion  of  Queen  Isabel  from  Spain, 
and  the  introduction  of  Protestantism  into  that  country, 
the  Portuguese  Government  recognised  the  legal  ex- 
istence  of  the  Evangelical  Church  of  Portugal.     In 
1875  the   Rev.  Godfrey  P.  Pope,  British  Chaplain  at 
Lisbon,  invited  the  Rev.  L.  S.  Tugwell  into  Portugal 
that  he  might  see  the  reality  of  the  effort  after  reform  ; 
and   after   consultation   between    all  interested,  four 
reformed    congregations   were    established,   three  in 
Lisbon  and  one  at  Rio  de  Mouro,  under  Senhores  de 
Mora,    Pereira,   Miranda,  and   Da  Costa,   who  were 
joined  by  two  more  priests.     De  Mora's  death  soon 

323  21—2 


324  PORTUGAL  [1892 

followed,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Senhor  Mello, 
who,  like  the  rest,  had  received  his  orders  from  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 

In  1878  the  Portuguese  joined  with  the  Spanish 
Reformers  in  memorializing  the  Lambeth  Conference, 
and  praying  for  a  Bishop  for  the  Peninsula,  to  be 
nominated  either  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
and  the  Bishop  of  London,  or  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Armagh. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  in  1892  only  one  of  the  four 
original  clergy  was  still  living ;  this  was  Da  Costa,  of 
Rio  de  Mouro.  On  the  day  after  my  return  to  Lisbon 
I  went  to  Rio  de  Mouro  with  the  Archbishop  and 
the  Bishop.  Da  Costa  had  been  originally  a  Roman 
priest  at  Rio  de  Mouro.  He  now  kept  a  school,  and 
had  a  large  congregation  in  the  same  place.  In  1882 
he  had  been  excommunicated,  and  the  form  of  his 
excommunication,  and  that  of  his  wife,  is  very  charac- 
teristic. 

'The  crime  of  these  unhappy  persons,'  declared 
the  Archbishop  of  Mitylene,  '  is  horrible.  It  is  the 
awful  sin  of  public  heresy,  manifested  externally,  with 
all  the  anti-Catholic  demonstrations  which  the  furious 
fanaticism  of  error  can  inspire  against  the  truth ;  the 
public  teaching  of  Protestantism  carried  on  by  the 
heretical  school  founded  in  Rio  de  Mouro,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  dreadful  Protestant  Propaganda;  the 
circulation  of  Bibles  and  pamphlets,  where  attacks  are 
made  on  Catholic  dogma,  upon  the  worship  of  the 
sacred  images,  not  to  mention  the  pious  homage  which 
we  pay  to  the  Mother  of  God  and  Our  Lady,  the  lofty 
patroness  of  the  Portuguese  ;  the  denial  of  the  various 
Sacraments,  and  the  scandalous  imitation  of  the  most 
venerable  rites  of  our  holy  faith.  .  .  .  Fly  from  them, 
Christians !  You  must  avoid  them  as  persons  struck 
with  pestilence.  Hold  no  intercourse  of  any  kind 
with  them  !  At  present  there  presses  upon  them  the 


i892]  SENHOR  DA  COSTA  325 

justice  of  God,  who  punishes  them  with  the  thunder- 
bolts of  the  anathema.  Afterwards  light  will  come 
and  enlighten  these  blind  persons,  so  that  they  may 
see  that  which  at  present  they  do  not  see — Protes- 
tantism decomposing,  being  reduced  to  the  filth  of 
error,  and  all  its  members  in  whom  a  sincere  desire  to 
know  the  truth  exists  reconciling  themselves  to  the 
Church  of  Rome,  and  sheltering  under  the  shadow 
of  that  portentous  moral  force  which  governs  the 
world. 

1  Given  in  Sao  Vicente  under  our  seal  and  the  stamp 
and  arms  of  His  Eminence  [the  Cardinal  Patriarch  of 
Lisbon]  on  the  23rd  of  November,  1882.' 

Ten  years  after  this  fulmination  I  was  happy  to  find 
Senhor  Da  Costa  and  '  his  female  accomplice ' — that  is, 
his  wife — in  good  health  and  high  spirits,  carrying  on 
a  prosperous  work  at  Rio  de  Mouro. 

On  the  day  following  our  visit  to  Senhor  Da  Costa, 
Senhor  Torres  was  ordained  priest  in  St.  Peter's, 
Lisbon,  of  which  Senhor  Candido  de  Souza,  who,  if 
his  health  be  equal  to  it,  will  probably  be  the  first 
Portuguese  reformed  Bishop,  is  the  clergyman.  In  the 
six  schoolrooms  and  churches  visited  by  the  Arch- 
bishop in  Portugal  during  this  week,  there  were  1,500 
adults  and  500  children  present. 

On  our  return  to  Madrid,  after  an  absence  of  ten 
days,  we  found  that  Sagasta  had  become  Prime 
Minister,  and  that  no  further  obstacles  were  to 
be  put  in  the  way  of  the  consecration  of  the  church. 
So  strong,  however,  was  the  influence  of  the  Court 
ladies  (ten  Duchesses,  eight  Marchionesses,  and  seven 
Countesses)  and  of  the  Nuncio  and  of  the  clerical  papers, 
and  so  short  was  the  time  at  the  Archbishop's  disposal, 
that  it  was  thought  better  to  defer  the  consecration  to 
a  later  date,  when  both  Senor  Cabrera  and  the  church 
might  be  consecrated  together.  The  fury  of  the 
Ultramontane  press  was  indeed  astonishing,  and  only 


326  MADRID  [1894 

equalled  by  the  calmness  of  the  people  and  the  in- 
difference of  the  Government.  The  following  is  a 
specimen  :  '  Is  it  just  or  equitable,  reasonable  or  politic, 
to  disregard  the  way  in  which  18,000,000  [sic]  of 
Catholics  choose  that  we  should  be  religious,  we  who 
have  a  right  to  be  governed  in  a  Catholic  way  by  the 
State  which  we  serve  with  our  blood  and  money,  in 
order  to  favour  the  filthy,  immoral,  and  obscurantist 
demand  of  that  group,  of  microscopic  dimensions, 
headed  by  a  few  monks  living  with  their  concubines 
and  trebly  apostate  ?  The  religious  opinions  and 
worship  of  Protestants  are  manifestly  contrary  to  and 
subversive  of  Christian  morals,  for  they  teach  and 
preach,  in  opposition  to  them,  doctrines  horrid  in 
theory  and  profoundly  immoral  in  practice,  offensive 
to  God,  degrading  to  man,  and  ruinous  to  society '  (El 
Sigh  Futuro). 

On  September  23,  1894,  Bishop  Cabrera  was  conse- 
crated by  the  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  the  Bishop  of 
Clogher,  and  the  Bishop  of  Down.  This  was  described 
by  the  Bishop  of  Madrid  in  a  pastoral  letter  as  a 
pretended  consecration  held  in  the  presence  of '  pastors, 
proselytes,  and  masons,'  by  '  three  English  individuals 
who  bear  the  name  of  Bishops,  although  it  is  a  thing 
certain  that  English  Protestantism  has  been  without  a 
true  episcopate  from  its  cradle,  not  simply  because  its 
consecrations  have  been  conferred  by  heretics  and 
schismatics,  but  on  account  of  its  defect  of  succession 
and  the  essential  faults  of  its  ordination  formula.' 
There  were  laymen  in  England  who  were  as  angry  as 
the  Bishop  of  Madrid  at  the  consecration  of  Bishop 
Cabrera,  and  Viscount  Halifax  and  others  tried  to  get 
up  a  pro-Roman  agitation  in  England  on  the  subject. 
In  consequence  of  the  attacks  made  upon  the  Arch- 
bishop, I  drew  up  the  following  address,  which  was 
largely  signed,  in  1895  : 


BISHOP  CABRERA'S  CONSECRATION  327 

'  MY  LORD  ARCHBISHOP, 

'We,  the  undersigned  clergy  and  laity  of  the 
Church  of  England,  approach  your  Grace,  with  rever- 
ence for  your  high  office,  to  express  to  you  our  thanks 
for  the  action  that  your  Grace  has  taken  in  fostering 
the  Reform  Movement  in  Spain,  and  giving  your 
weighty  support  in  the  time  of  their  need  to  the 
members  of  the  Reformed  Spanish  Church. 

'  We  desire  to  express  to  your  Grace  not  only  our 
thankfulness,  but  our  admiration  both  of  what  you 
have  done  and  the  manner  in  which  you  have  done  it. 

1 1.  You  have  come  to  the  help  of  the  Lord's  people 
struggling  to  free  themselves  from  the  corruptions  of 
a  corrupt  Church.  You  have  stretched  out  the  hand 
of  sympathy  and  encouragement  to  some  of  God's 
servants  in  the  time  of  their  deepest  distress.  You 
have  given  them  for  many  years  past  those  consola- 
tions of  religion  and  that  spiritual  support  which  a 
Bishop  could  alone  give,  and,  when  the  full  time 
was  come,  you  and  your  two  colleagues,  to  whom  we 
also  offer  our  thanks,  transmitted  to  a  man  selected  by 
themselves  from  among  the  presbyters  of  their  Church, 
and  found  by  your  Lordships  apt  and  meet  for  his 
learning  and  godly  conversation,  the  gift  of  the  Episco- 
pate, which  he  may  exercise  to  the  honour  of  God  and 
the  edifying  of  His  Church.  And  while  this  act  of 
your  Lordship's  will,  we  humbly  trust,  bring  forth 
good  fruit  in  Spain,  it  vindicates  at  the  same  time  the 
position  of  the  Bishops  of  the  Anglican  communion  as 
Bishops  of  the  Church  of  God,  interested  in  the  affairs 
of  the  Church  Catholic,  and  bound  by  every  principle 
of  right  and  duty  to  make  response  to  an  appeal 
calling  upon  them  to  come  to  the  assistance  of  their 
brother  Christians  suffering  for  their  fidelity  to  the 
Gospel,  and  refusing  to  accept  the  novel  inventions  of 
man  for  Evangelical  truth. 

'  2.  We  venture,  too,  to  congratulate  your  Grace  on 


328  OLD  CONNAUGHT  [1896 

the  manner  in  which  you  have  carried  out  this  great 
Christian  work.  We  regard  with  admiration  the 
courage,  the  patience,  the  prudence,  the  perseverance, 
you  have  exhibited.  We  have  seen  with  a  feeling 
akin  to  indignation  the  insinuations  and  charges, 
mostly  arising  from  ignorance,  which  have  been  poured 
upon  you,  and  we  have  rejoiced  at  the  meekness  and 
gracious  courtesy  with  which  you  have  instructed 
those  that  oppose  themselves.  We  are  equally  im- 
pressed with  the  deference  you  have  paid  to  the 
judgment  of  your  brother  Bishops  in  Ireland,  and  of 
the  Bishops  assembled  in  the  Lambeth  Conference. 
We  do  not  doubt  that  the  question  hereafter  will  be 
rather  why  the  gift  of  the  Episcopate  was  not  sooner 
made  to  these  brethren  than  why  it  was  made  so  soon. 
We  pray — and  in  this  we  feel  assured  that  we  are 
joining  our  prayers  to  yours — that  the  brotherly  act 
that  your  Grace  and  your  two  colleagues  have  per- 
formed may  be  abundantly  blessed  by  God,  that  the 
Church  whose  organization  has  thus  been  completed 
may  serve  as  a  light  in  a  dark  land,  and  that  its 
members  may  be  the  highly  favoured  instruments  of 
restoring  to  their  countrymen  that  pure  faith  which 
their  ancestors  held,  and  for  which  martyrs  died  in 
the  fourth  and  in  the  sixteenth  century.' 

After  his  return  from  Spain,  Lord  Plunket  continued 
his  work  for  Spain,  for  Italy,  but  above  all  for  Ireland. 
In  1896  he  invited  me  to  hold  a  quiet  day  for  the 
clergy  of  his  diocese,  at  which  the  Holy  Communion 
was  administered  in  the  morning  at  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Bray,  and  I  delivered  five  addresses  in  the  course  of 
the  day.  At  the  end  of  the  year  1896,  Archbishop 
Benson  and  Mrs.  Benson  paid  a  visit  to  Old  Connaught, 
and  the  two  Archbishops  had  long  and  earnest  discus- 
sion as  to  the  proceedings  of  the  Lambeth  Conference 
to  be  held  the  following  year.  At  that  Conference, 


i897l  ARCHBISHOP  PLUNKET  329 

however,  neither  of  the  Archbishops  was  present, 
Archbishop  Benson  having  died  suddenly  in  Hawarden 
Church,  and  Archbishop  Plunket  being  carried  off  by 
an  attack  of  influenza. 

It  is  easier  to  say  what  Lord  Plunket  did  than  to 
describe  what  he  was.  Perhaps  the  most  notable 
characteristic  in  him  was  his  simplicity  in  the  highest 
and  noblest  sense  of  that  word.  He  was  utterly  un- 
spoilt and  unaffected  by  his  position  in  the  State  and 
in  the  Church.  He  was  not  fenced  about  with  either 
secular  or  spiritual  pride.  He  did  not  know  what 
condescension  meant.  He  dearly  loved,  and  was 
dearly  loved  by,  his  intimate  friends  and  associates  in 
his  work,  and  he  recognised  all  who  loved  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  his  brethren  and  equals  before  God. 
The  next  thing  to  notice  in  him  was  his  temper — his 
*  superb  temper,'  as  Bishop  Thorold  designated  it. 
Immersed  as  he  necessarily  was  in  controversy,  he 
never  spoke  harshly  of  an  opponent,  never  tried  to  mis- 
represent his  arguments,  never  failed  to  acknowledge 
the  right  of  others  to  their  opinions,  as  he  to  his. 
When  he  was  assailed  even  anonymously,  and  when 
acts  and  motives  which  he  had  not  done  and  did  not 
entertain  were  attributed  to  him,  he  did  not  shut  him- 
self up  in  a  haughty  silence,  or  express  a  justifiable 
indignation,  but  graciously  and  meekly  instructed 
those  who  opposed  themselves,  without  a  hint  that 
their  charges  were  an  offence  to  charity  or  a  proof  of 
their  incompetence.  He  was  grieved  at  misunder- 
standings, but  seldom  moved  and  never  angered. 

Behind  these  engaging  qualities  there  was  a  firmness 
and  courage  not  always  united  with  them.  When  he 
had  made  up  his  mind  that  a  course  was  in  accordance 
with  God's  will,  the  Archbishop  was  not  to  be  diverted 
from  it,  and  he  was  brave  enough  to  face  obloquy 
without  shrinking,  leaving  the  result  with  God. 
Added  to  his  courage  in  choosing  ends  and  abiding 


330  ARCHBISHOP  PLUNKET  [1897 

by  them  was  an  astonishing  perseverance  in  taking 
the  means  to  attain  those  ends.  He  knew  that  the 
day  of  little  things  leads  on  to  greater  things,  and  he 
never  shrank  from  the  wearisomeness  involved  in 
doing  the  little  things  if  they  were  conducive  to  the 
greater.  He  was  prudent  and  patient  as  well  as  firm. 
If  he  judged  that  a  thing  had  to  be  done,  he  did  it,  but 
he  avoided  all  methods  of  doing  it  which  might  give 
unnecessary  offence.  Cabrera  was  consecrated,  but 
no  pomp  and  pride  surrounded  his  consecration.  He 
was  consecrated,  but  the  Archbishop  waited  some 
twenty  years  till  all  the  obstacles  that  could  be 
removed  were  smoothed  away.  Not  many  persons 
would  have  allowed  themselves  to  be  shut  out  of  their 
own  house  in  Madrid  without  complaint ;  but  he  was 
patient  under  the  injury  (which,  indeed,  he  was  too 
much  occupied  with  other  thoughts  to  dwell  upon), 
and  too  prudent  to  irritate  the  Spaniards  on  a  personal 
question  when  he  wished  to  conciliate  them.  In  a 
funeral  sermon,  full  of  pathos  and  of  eloquence,  Arch- 
bishop Alexander  speaks  of  him  thus:  'A  noble 
Archbishop,  a  humble  Christian,  a  man  full  of  sym- 
pathy for  sickness,  sorrow,  and  suffering,  who  stooped 
to  wash  every  foot  that  was  stained  with  earth's  dust, 
and  to  heal  every  foot  that  was  stabbed  with  earth's 
thorns.' 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Durham  University — Congress  of  1895 — Retrospect  of  half  a  century 
— Blickling  Hall — Constance,  Marchioness  of  Lothian. 

IN  1893  and  1894  I  went  to  Durham  University  to 
examine  candidates  for  a  License  in  Theology.  I  was 
the  more  interested  in  this  as  it  was  to  Durham 
University  that  the  papers  of  the  students  of  Cod- 
rington  College  had  been  sent.  My  brother  examiners 
were,  on  the  first  occasion  Dean  Spence  of  Gloucester, 
on  the  second  Dr.  Gibson,  Vicar  of  Leeds,  afterwards 
Bishop  of  Gloucester.  At  Durham  I  was  able  to 
renew  my  acquaintance  with  Canon  A.  S.  Farrar  and 
Dean  Lake,  who  had  been  my  colleagues  as  examiners 
in  the  Final  Classical  Schools  at  Oxford,  and  with 
Dr.  Plummer  and  Dr.  Robertson,  both  of  them,  like 
myself  and  Dr.  Gibson,  members  of  Trinity  College, 
Oxford.  Dr.  Robertson,  now  Bishop  of  Exeter, 
was  my  godson.  When  the  examination  was  over, 
I  went  to  Cosin's  Library  with  Mr.  Fowler  the 
librarian,  and  borrowed  from  it  the  Prayer-Books 
containing  the  MSS.  of  Bishop  Cosin.  On  a  com- 
parison of  the  handwriting,  it  became  perfectly  clear 
that  the  notes  published  in  the  Anglo-Catholic  edition 
of  Cosin's  works,  under  the  name  of  the  *  First  Series 
of  Notes/  were  not  in  Cosin's  handwriting.  His 
authorship  of  them  is  also  otherwise  disproved  to 
demonstration.  They  were  probably  written  by  Mr. 
Heywood,  a  nephew  of  Bishop  Overall. 

331 


332  NORWICH  [1895-98 

In  the  year  1895  the  Church  Congress  was  held  for 
the  second  time  at  Norwich,  and  a  new  departure  was 
made  by  the  committee  in  inviting  Bishop  Herzog  to 
take  part  in  the  discussion.  This  implied  an  acknow- 
ledgment of  intercommunion  existing  between  the 
Church  of  England  and  the  Old  Catholics,  as  only 
those  that  are  in  communion  with  the  Church  of 
England  can  address  the  Congress.  On  Bishop 
Herzog's  arrival  I  took  him,  to  rest  after  his  journey, 
to  the  house  of  Miss  Temple  Frere,  and  in  the  even- 
ing to  Earlham  Hall,  where  Canon  and  Mrs.  Ripley 
received  him  for  two  nights.  He  read  a  valuable 
paper  on  '  National  Churches '  at  the  Congress,  after 
which  he  went  to  luncheon  with  Bishop  and  Mrs. 
Sheepshanks,  and  the  next  day  he  returned  to  the 
Continent. 

At  the  same  Congress  I  read  a  paper  on  the 
hindrances  to  communion  with  the  Oriental  Church, 
which  I  represented  to  be  not  so  much  the  doctrine 
of  the  Procession,  or  even  of  the  Holy  Eucharist,  or 
of  Icons,  as  the  question  of  the  acceptance  of  the 
Second  Council  of  Nicea  and  the  Eastern  tenet  of  the 
Infallibility  of  the  Church — that  is,  of  the  Orthodox 
Communion,  consisting  of  the  local  Churches  of  Con- 
stantinople, Russia,  Greece,  Roumania,  Bulgaria, 
Servia,  Herzegovina,  and  Montenegro.  At  the  same 
time  I  pointed  out  how  much  more  we  have  in 
common  with  the  Oriental  than  with  the  Roman 
Church  in  respect  both  to  doctrine  and  to  sympathies. 

In  1898  I  resigned  the  office  of  Secretary  of  the 
Anglo-Continental  Society,  which  I  had  held  since 
the  institution  of  the  society  in  1853.  The  work  for 
which  it  was  established,  if  it  were  not  done,  seemed 
at  least  less  pressing.  The  Old  Catholic  Churches 
of  Germany  and  Switzerland  did  not  now  need  the 
sympathies  which  they  grasped  at  in  their  first  years, 
and  there  were  special  societies  formed  for  fostering 


1899]  RETROSPECT  333 

and  giving  spiritual  aid  to  the  reformers  in  Italy  and 
in  Spain  and  Portugal.  Archbishop  Maclagan,  who 
had  been  president  since  the  death  of  Bishop  Harold 
Browne,  resigned  at  the  same  time.  With  a  new 
president  and  a  new  secretary,  the  character  of  the 
society  began  to  change,  and  in  1904  it  altered  its 
name  to  the  Anglican  and  Foreign  Church  Society.  In 
the  year  1899  I  brought  to  a  close  the  publication  of 
the  Foreign  Church  Chronicle,  which  I  had  edited  for 
more  than  twenty  years,  to  advocate  the  views  of  the 
society. 

Relieved  of  these  preoccupations  just  as  the  century 
closed,  I  was  led  to  institute  in  my  own  mind  a  com- 
parison of  the  state  of  the  Church  in  England  with 
what  it  was  half  a  century  ago,  in  order  to  see  where 
the  Church  now  most  needed  the  sympathies  and 
efforts  of  her  sons.  Amidst  much  that  was  cheering, 
two  losses  offered  themselves  at  once  for  notice : 

(1)  The  loss  of  the  Universities  as  Church  institutions ; 

(2)  the  loss  of  the  labourers  from  our  parish  churches. 
Of  the  former  I  have  already  spoken.      Theological 
colleges,  necessary  as  they  are,  are  no  adequate  substi- 
tute for  our  ancient  Universities  in  the  formation  of 
the  character  of  our  clergy.     With  regard  to  the  latter, 
I  remember  that  there  were  in  my  father's  church  two 
galleries,  one  assigned  to  men,  the  other  to  women, 
in  each  case  of  the  labouring  class.    There  was  nothing 
that  is  now  considered  attractive  in  the  manner  in 
which    the    service    was    conducted :    no    ceremonial 
effects ;   no  music,  except   such   as  was  forthcoming 
from  a  fiddle,  a  violoncello,  and  a  trombone,  and  an 
untrained   body   of  village   singers,  who   sat  in   the 
*  singing-gallery '  at  the  west  end  of  the  church.     Yet 
the  men's  gallery  and  the  women's  gallery  were  full 
twice  a  day,  and  a  considerable  number  of  the  labour- 
ing class   presented    themselves   at  the   (infrequent) 
celebration   of  the   Holy  Communion.     Now  where 


334  SOME  PRESENT  EVILS  [1900 

are  the  labourers  at  morning  and  evening  services  (to 
which  they  are  to  be  attracted  by  music)  ?  and  still 
more,  where  are  they  at  the  Holy  Communions, 
which  have  been  multiplied  and  multiplied  ?  It  may 
be  said,  not  without  truth,  that  politics  will  go  far  to 
explain  these  things.  No  doubt  it  was  the  action  of 
a  political  party  desirous  of  weakening  the  Church, 
which  it  generally  found  in  opposition  to  itself,  and 
also  desirous  of  strengthening  other  religionists  who 
generally  support  it,  which  to  a  great  extent  (not 
wholly)  led  to  the  unchurching  of  the  Universities; 
and  it  is  the  misrepresentation  of  the  parson  and 
the  squire  by  agitators  who  constitute  themselves 
leaders  of  the  labourers  which  makes  the  latter  shun 
our  churches.  But  this  is  not  sufficient  to  account 
for  the  indifference  of  the  labouring  classes  to  religious 
worship,  now  prevailing  so  much  more  widely  than 
formerly.  Is  the  disregard  of  the  obligation  of 
Sunday  observance  by  all  classes  the  cause  or  the 
effect  of  the  phenomenon  ? 

Take  another  case  for  comparison.  Half  a  century 
ago  there  were,  no  doubt,  as  there  always  have  been, 
men  who  disbelieved;  but  agnosticism  was  not  then 
proclaimed  as  a  principle  justifying  the  ignoring  of 
God,  nor  was  faith  in  Holy  Scripture,  and  therefore 
in  our  Lord,  undermined  by  a  criticism  which  is  now 
affecting  all  classes  of  society. 

Again,  fifty  years  ago  none  of  the  clergy  were  dis- 
loyal to  their  Church,  except  those  that  had  come 
under  the  spell  of  Dr.  Newman,  and  they  felt  the 
position  so  impossible  that,  one  by  one,  they  left  the 
Church.  How  do  we  stand  in  this  respect  now  ? 
There  is  a  large  and  organized  body  of  clergy  who 
think  that  there  is  nothing  wrong  in  disloyalty  to  the 
Church  as  she  has  been  reformed,  and  whose  object 
it  is  to  restore  her  to  the  estate  in  which  she  was 
before  the  Reformation,  and  to  reintroduce  the  cere- 


i9oo]  MEDIEVALISM  335 

monies  and  practices  and  doctrines  of  the  mediaeval 
Church  which  have  been  repudiated  by  her. 

The  struggle  with  rationalism  is  impending;  the 
struggle  with  mediaevalism  (the  prevalence  of  which 
would  disable  us  in  our  battle  with  rationalism)  is 
upon  us  at  the  present  moment.  Under  the  circum- 
stances it  seemed  right  to  co-operate  with  the  Church 
of  England  League,  established  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  hitherto  accepted  doctrines  of  the  Church  of 
England ;  and  I  wrote  three  books  in  defence  of  the 
Church  of  England  as  she  is  and  has  been :  Scriptural 
and  Catholic  Truth  and  Worship  (1901),  Old  Anglicanism 
and  Modern  Ritualism  (1901),  Sunday  Observance  (1902) ; 
I  also  joined  Dr.  Wace,  Dean  of  Canterbury,  in  issuing 
our  Appeal  to  the  early  centuries  (1904).  In  this 
appeal  it  was  my  part  to  show  that  mediaeval  and  still 
more  modern  ceremonies,  practices  and  doctrines  are 
not  to  be  forced  upon  us  on  the  plea  that  they  are 
'  Catholic,'  the  fact  that  they  are  not  Catholic  being 
proved  by  their  being  shown  not  to  have  been  the 
common  use  of  the  Church  in  the  first  five  or  six 
centuries. 

Blickling,  in  which  I  have  lived  for  the  last  thirty- 
five  years,  is  a  village  with  a  history.  King  Harold 
once  resided  in  it,  when  he  was  Earl  of  the  East 
Angles,  and  the  foundations  of  his  house  still  remain 
beneath  the  soil.  Then  the  manor  passed,  by  the 
Conqueror's  grant,  to  the  Bishops  of  Norwich.  A  new 
house  on  the  present  site  was  built  in  the  fourteenth 
century,  and  in  it  lived,  among  others,  Sir  Thomas 
de  Erpingham,  the  '  good  old  knight '  of  Agincourt ; 
Sir  John  Fastolfe,  the  'base  knight,'  the  'cowardly 
knight '  of  Patay ;  and  the  Boleyn  family,  one  of  which 
was  Queen  Anne,  the  mother  of  Elizabeth.  That 
house  was  pulled  down  at  the  end  of  Elizabeth's  reign, 
and  a  new  house  was  built  by  Sir  Henry  Hobart,  the 
then  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  England.  A  descendant  of 


336  BUCKLING  HALL  [1898 

Sir  Henry  was  created  Earl  of  Buckinghamshire,  and 
from  him  the  present  owner  is  descended  by  the 
female  line.  The  house,  or  Hall,  built  by  the  archi- 
tect by  whom  Hatfield  was  also  built,  besides  its 
architectural  beauty  and  picturesque  surroundings, 
has  an  excellent  library  and  a  few  good  paintings, 
and  it  attracts  visitors  every  summer  in  great 
numbers. 

On  December  9,  1898,  a  visit  to  Blickling  Hall  was 
made  by  the  King  (then  Prince  of  Wales)  and  the 
Empress  Frederick  of  Germany.  Lady  Lothian  being 
absent,  I  had,  at  her  request,  together  with  Mr. 
Bertram  Talbot,  cousin  of  Lady  Lothian,  and  Mr. 
Wright,  agent  of  the  estate,  the  office  of  receiving 
them.  They  first  walked  round  the  gardens,  which 
was  as  much  as  the  Prince  could  do,  as  he  had  not  yet 
recovered  from  an  accident,  and  his  sister  was  afraid 
it  might  overtire  him.  In  the  house  they  visited  the 
library,  where  I  had  previously  arranged  the  most 
interesting  books  for  inspection.  In  the  room  known 
as  George  II.'s,  because  George  II.  had  slept  there  and 
the  furniture  has  remained  unchanged  since  that  time, 
there  is  a  portrait  of  Sir  Henry  Hobart,  the  founder 
of  the  present  house,  and  Lord  Chief  Justice  in  the 
time  of  Elizabeth.  He  wears  round  his  neck  a  chain 
with  the  letters  SS  on  it.  This  chain  has  been 
supposed  to  be  a  sign  of  his  office,  such  as  is  now 
worn  by  the  Lord  Chief  Justice,  and  the  SS  to  re- 
present Sanctus  Spiritus.  The  Empress  demurred 
to  this  explanation,  saying  that  the  chain  represented 
a  token  which  Henry  IV.  gave  to  his  partisans  while 
he  was  in  exile,  before  he  had  succeeded  to  the  throne, 
and  that  the  SS  meant  Souvenir  et  Souverain.  Before 
leaving  the  library,  the  Prince  and  the  Empress  added 
their  names  to  a  list  of  visitors,  inscribed  in  the  first 
page  of  a  large  MS.  Bible,  which  begins  with  Arthur, 
Duke  of  Wellington,  and  had  ended  with  Alexandra, 


i899]  PRINCE  AND  CHILDREN  337 

Princess  of  Wales,  who  had  visited  Blickling  ten 
years  previously. 

After  luncheon,  at  which  there  was  no  formality, 
the  Prince,  it  was  said,  liking  to  be  treated  in  Norfolk 
more  as  a  Norfolk  Squire  than  as  the  Heir  Apparent, 
the  visitors  went  to  the  church,  where  the  Prince  was 
greatly  struck  by  the  beauty  of  Watts'  monument  to 
Lord  Lothian,  and  the  Empress  was  much  interested 
in  the  historical  brasses  of  the  church,  especially  those 
of  the  Boleyn  family,  of  which  there  are  four  in  the 
chancel. 

The  school-children  of  the  parish  had  taken  great 
delight  in  the  coming  of  the  Prince,  and  had  welcomed 
him  with  flags  and  singing.  Not  long  afterwards 
the  attempt  to  assassinate  him  took  place  at  Brussels. 
The  children  were  very  indignant,  and  asked  leave  to 
write  and  express  their  feelings  to  the  Prince.  We 
told  them  that  they  might  each  write  a  letter  in  his  or 
her  own  words..  The  following  is  a  type  of  the  letters 
produced:  'My  dear  Prince,  —  We  are  very  angry 
with  that  naughty  boy  who  has  been  shooting  at  you, 
and  we  are  very  glad  that  he  did  not  hurt  you,  and  we 
hope  you  will  enjoy  your  holiday  all  the  same,  and 
that  you  will  come  back  here  to  see  us  again  soon.' 
I  selected  the  six  best  of  these  letters  and  sent  them 
to  the  Private  Secretary  of  the  Prince,  saying  that  I 
thought  it  possible  that  the  Prince  might  like  to  see 
the  expression  of  the  sympathy  of  his  young  admirers, 
on  the  principle  of  Shakespeare's  Theseus  in  the  Mid- 
summer Night's  Dream — 

*  For  never  anything  can  be  amiss 
When  simpleness  and  duty  tender  it.' 

In  a  few  days  a  letter  was  received  returning  the 
Prince's  thanks  for  the  children's  letters,  which  was 
couched,  not  in  merely  formal  terms,  but  was  full  of 
kindly  feeling,  such  as  might  be  expected  from  the 
son  of  Queen  Victoria. 

22 


338          CONSTANCE,  LADY  LOTHIAN         [1901 

In  1901  the  Hall  witnessed  a  touching  scene.  Con- 
stance, Marchioness  of  Lothian,  who  had  been  its 
occupant  since  her  husband's  death  in  1870,  died,  to 
the  sorrow  of  the  parish  and  neighbourhood.  Thirty- 
one  years  ago  I  had  gone  to  Scotland  to  bury  her 
husband  in  that  part  of  Jedburgh  Abbey  which  is 
reserved  for  the  family  of  the  Kerrs.  My  son,  the 
Rev.  F.  J.  Meyrick,  now  Vicar  of  St.  Peter  Mancroft, 
Norwich,  fulfilled  the  same  office  for  his  widow. 
I  held  a  short  service  at  the  entrance  of  the  Hall, 
consisting  of  some  sentences  from  Holy  Scripture 
and  a  few  prayers  and  two  hymns,  at  the  time 
that  the  body  was  brought  to  be  placed  upon  the 
hearse  ;  and  as  soon  as  that  had  been  done,  Mr.  Lewis, 
curate  of  Blickling,  and  myself,  in  surplices,  led  the 
way  as  far  as  the  confines  of  the  parish,  followed  by 
the  choir,  the  hearse,  the  mourners,  and  almost  all  the 
parishioners,  the  choir  from  time  to  time  singing 
hymns,  and  the  church-bell  slowly  tolling  a  farewell 
On  the  day  of  the  funeral  a  service  was  held  in  Blick- 
ling church,  attended  by  the  villagers  and  the  neigh- 
bours, at  which  Mr.  Koblich,  Minor  Canon  of  Norwich, 
sang  '  Oh,  Rest  in  the  Lord.' 

Lady  Lothian,  the  second  daughter  of  Lord  Shrews- 
bury and  Talbot,  was  a  highly  cultured  lady  who 
would  have  shone  in  any  society.  But  as  soon  as  she 
became  the  owner  of  Blickling  she  made  it  the  chief 
object  of  her  life,  laying  aside  the  pursuit  of  other 
things,  to  give  as  much  happiness  as  she  could  to  the 
villagers,  all  of  whom  were  dependents  on  the  Blick- 
ling estate.  *  There  is  little  one  can  know,  but  there  is 
much  to  do,'  she  has  said  to  me,  '  to  make  this  our 
little  corner  of  the  world  better  and  happier/  If 
anyone  was  sick,  she  supplied  him  or  her  from  the 
Hall  with  all  that  the  case  needed,  and  she  frequently 
sat  by  the  sick-bed,  giving  comfort  by  her  presence 
and  consolation  by  the  passages  of  Scripture  which 


i9oi]  CARLYLE  AND  BROWNING  339 

she  read.  The  parish  school  was  supported  by  the 
estate,  and  Lady  Lothian  took  pains  to  provide  it 
with  the  best  possible  schoolmistress ;  and  she  paid 
constant  visits  to  the  school,  where  the  children,  who 
were  much  attached  to  her,  looked  forward  with 
delight  to  her  coming.  The  education  given  was  in 
accordance  with  the  principles  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  was  under  the  religious  direction  of  the 
Rector  of  the  parish.  Lady  Lothian's  place  in  church 
on  Sunday  was  always  filled,  generally  twice  in  the 
day.  She  had  restored  the  church,  with  Mr.  Street  as 
architect,  in  memory  of  her  husband,  and  had  erected 
the  beautiful  monument  to  him,  sculptured  by  G.  F. 
Watts,  opposite  to  which  she  sat.  A  monument  to 
herself  has  since  been  erected  by  her  sisters. 

During  Lady  Lothian's  residence  at  Blickling  she 
had  many  interesting  guests  to  visit  her.  Among 
others,  I  met  at  her  house  Carlyle  and  Browning. 
Carlyle  was  very  much  bent,  and  looked  a  rugged  old 
man,  not  too  particular  about  personal  neatness.  It 
was  easy  to  trace  in  his  conversation  his  peasant 
origin.  He  had  a  massive  forehead,  bushy  eyebrows, 
and  keen  eyes,  and  he  showed  himself  very  well  read 
on  any  subject  that  came  under  discussion.  In  his 
'  philosophy '  he  exhibited  a  curious  combination 
of  Scotch  Puritan  and  German  Rationalist  influences, 
and  he  presented  his  views  to  London  society  very 
courageously,  with  a  diction  that  was  entirely  his 
own.  What  he  taught  was  the  value  of  work,  and  the 
use  of  strong  men  to  control  the  rest  of  mankind, 
whom  he  regarded  as  '  mostly  fools.'  His  French 
Revolution  is  rather  an  epic  and  a  drama  than  a 
history. 

Browning's  appearance  and  conversation  were  very 
different.  After  luncheon  I  went  for  a  walk  with  him 
and  the  late  Lord  Carnarvon,  whom  I  had  known  in 
Oxford.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  take  part  in  the  easy, 

22 — 2 


340  BUCKLING  PARISH  [1870-1905 

yet  intellectual,  talk  that  passed.  Browning  was  of 
middle  height,  and  he  wore  no  beard  at  the  time  I 
saw  him.  The  most  striking  feature  about  him  was 
the  brightness  of  his  eyes. 

Some  years  earlier  I  had  met  Hallam,  the  father  of 
Arthur  Hallam  and  the  author  of  The  Constitutional 
History  of  England.  He  was  a  quiet,  reserved  man, 
of  a  kindly  disposition,  with  little  power  of  every- 
day conversation ;  but  what  he  said  was  well  worth 
hearing. 

The  later  years  of  my  life  have  been  spent  as  a 
country  clergyman  at  Blickling.  The  life  of  the 
clergyman  in  the  country  who  is  trusted  by  his 
parishioners  is  full  of  the  deepest  interest  to  himself, 
and  not  without  benefit,  it  may  be  hoped,  to  them  and 
to  the  Church  ;  but  it  does  not,  as  such,  supply  matter 
for  record.  The  tragedies  and  comedies  of  village  life, 
which  he  soothes  or  witnesses,  are  sacred,  and  not  to 
be  exposed  to  the  public  eye,  even  when  the  actors  in 
them  have  passed  away.  The  pastor's  village  friends 

'  Along  the  cool  sequestered  vale  of  life 
Have  kept  the  noiseless  tenor  of  their  way.' 

And  after  a  long  incumbency  he  has  laid  many  of 
them  to  rest  in  the  hallowed  ground  overshadowed 
by  the  church,  which  has  been  the  symbol  of  their 
spiritual  life. 

1  No  further  seek  their  merits  to  disclose, 

Or  draw  their  frailties  from  their  dread  abode  : 
There  they  alike  in  trembling  hope  repose 
The  bosom  of  their  Father  and  their  God,' 


\ 


APPENDIX 


OFFICES  HELD 

1843-1847.  Scholar  of  Trinity  College,  Oxford.     (Age  sixteen 

to  twenty.) 
1847-1860.  Fellow  of  Trinity  College. 

1847.  B.A. 

1848.  Secretary  of  the  Oxford  Architectural  Society. 

1849.  President  of  the  Oxford  Union  Society. 

1850.  M.A. 

1851-1859.  Tutor  of  Trinity  College. 

1854.  Master  of  the  Schools  (Responsions). 
1855-1856.  Select  Preacher  before  the  University. 

1856.  Public  Examiner  in  Classics  (Pass  and  Class). 
1856-1857.  Preacher  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  Whitehall. 
1856-1857.  Examiner  at  Winchester  College. 

1857.  Proctor. 

1858.  Examiner  at  Rugby  School. 

1859.  Examiner  for  the  Johnson  Theological  Scholarship. 
1859-1869.  H.M.  Inspector  of  Schools. 

1865-1866.  Select  Preacher  before  the  University  of  Oxford. 
1868-1885,  Examining   Chaplain   to  Bishop  Wordsworth   of 

Lincoln. 

1868-1905.  Rector  of  Blickling  and  Erpingham. 
1869-1905.  Non-Residentiary  Canon  of  Lincoln  Cathedral. 
1875-1876.  Select  Preacher  before  the  University  of  Oxford. 
1886-1887.  Principal  of  Codrington  College,  Barbados. 
1893-1894.  Examiner  in  Theology  at  Durham  University. 

1897.  Member  of  the  Cretan  Relief  Committee  at  Athens. 
1853-1898.  Secretary  of  the  Anglo-Continental  Society. 


342 

PUBLICATIONS. 

As  AUTHOR. 

1850.  What  is  the  Working  of  the  Church  of  Spain?  (Pamphlet.) 

1851.  The  Practical  Working  of  the  Church  of  Spain. 

1853.  Evidence  on  the  University  and  Collegiate  Systems. 

1854.  Two  Sermons  preached  before  the  University  on  Novem- 

ber 5  and  May  29. 

Clerical  Tenure  of  Fellowships.  (Letter  to  Sir  W. 
Heathcote,  Bart.,  M.P.  for  University  of  Oxford.) 

1855.  Liguori's  Theory  of  Truthfulness.     (Pamphlet.) 
Liguori's  Theory  of  Theft.     (Pamphlet.) 

Liguori's  Morality  discussed  in  Nineteen  Letters  with 

Dr.  (Cardinal)  Manning.     (Pamphlet.) 
Papal  Supremacy  tested  by  Antiquity.    (Pamphlet.) 

1856.  Liguori's  Glories  of  Mary.     (Pamphlet.) 
Examination  of  Rev.  R.  I.  Wilberforce's  Inquiry  into 

Church  Principles.     (Pamphlet.) 

Moral  and  Devotional  Theology  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

God's  Revelation  and  Man's  Moral  Sense.  (Sermon 
published  by  the  Vice-Chancellor  in  a  volume 
entitled  '  Christian  Faith  and  the  Atonement.') 

1858.  The  Outcast  and  the  Poor  of  London. 

1859.  University  and  Whitehall  Sermons. 

1860.  Articles  in  first  volume  of  Smith's  '  Dictionary  of  the 

Bible' — e.g.,  '  James.' 

1863.  Articles  in  second  and   third   volumes   of    ditto  —  e.g., 

'Mary,'  'Prophet,'   'Church,'  'Antichrist,'    'Con- 
firmation.' 

1864.  But  isn't  Kingsley  right  after  all  ?    (Pamphlet.) 

On  Dr.   Newman's  Rejection  of  Liguori's  Doctrine  of 

Equivocation.     (Pamphlet.) 
Sulle  Chiese  Suburbicarie.     Una  Lettera  ad  un  Uomo 

di  Stato.     (Pamphlet.) 

1865.  Jehovah  or  Baal?     A  Sermon  before  the  University. 

1866.  Patriotism.      A     Sermon    to    Volunteers    in    Norwich 

Cathedral. 

The  Bible,  the  Church,  Conscience — which  is  Supreme  ? 
A  Sermon  before  the  University. 


1850-1905]  PUBLICATIONS  343 

1867.  Our  Schools  of  the  Prophets.    Ditto. 
Intercommunion.     Ditto. 

1868.  Vita   della  Santa  Maria  con  tutte  le  Legende  le  piu 

notabile. 
La  Chiesa. 

1872.  Undergraduate  Life  at  Oxford  in  1844  to  1847  (prefixed 
to  '  Memoirs  of  W.  B.  Marriott '). 

1874.  Sermons  at  Lincoln  Cathedral  and  St.  Paul's  Cathedral 

on;the  Bonn  Conferences. 

1875.  Articles  in  «  Dictionary  of  Ecclesiastical  Antiquities  ' — 

e.g.,  '  Marriage.' 

1876.  Commentary   on  Joel   and   Obadiah  in  the  *  Speaker's 

Commentary.' 
Episcopal  Succession  in  the  English  Church.   (German.) 

1877.  The  Schism  of  East  and  West  and  the  Seventh  Council. 

Sermon  before  the  University  of  Oxford.     (Also  in 
French.) 

1880.  Commentary  on   the  Epistle   to  the  Ephesians   in  the 
*  Speaker's  Commentary.' 

1882.  Commentary  on  Leviticus  in  the  '  Pulpit  Commentary.' 

1883.  Is  Dogma  a  Necessity  ? 

1892.  History  of  the  Church  of  Spain. 
1894.  Lessons  on  Joshua  and  Judges. 

1899.  The    Doctrine     of    the    Holy    Communion    restated. 

Fourth  edition.     (The  same  in  Italian.) 

1900.  Article  on  «  Confession  '  in  <  Church  and  Faith.' 
Article  on  «  The  History  of  the  Holy  Communion '  in 

<  The  Church  Past  and  Present.' 

1901.  Scriptural  and  Catholic  Truth  and  Worship. 
Old  Anglicanism  and  Modern  Ritualism. 

1902.  Sunday  Observance. 

Ritual  and  Ritualism.     (Pamphlet.) 

1904.  Articles  in  *  A  Protestant  Dictionary.' 

1  Prayers  on  the  Ten  Commandments.' 
*  Appeal  from  the  New  to  the  True  Catholics '  (jointly 
with  Dean  Wace).     (Pamphlet.) 

1905.  Commentaries  on  the  Epistles  of  St.  John,  the  Pastoral 

Epistles,  the  Colossians  and  Philemon,  in  Rev.  J.  R. 
Dummelow's  forthcoming  Commentary. 


344  PUBLICATIONS  [1850-1905 

1905.  Letter  to  the  Dean  of  Canterbury. 

1850-1905.  Articles,  Reviews,  and  Letters  in  the  Colonial 
Ch^lrch  Chronicle,  the  Christian  Remembrancer,  the 
Olservateur  Catholique,  the  Union  Chretienne,  the 
Literary  Churchman,  the  Quarterly  Review,  the  Eman- 
cipatore  Cattolico,  the  Guardian,  the  Church  Quarterly 
Review,  the  Churchman,  the  New  York  Church  Journal, 
the  Revue  Internationale  de  Theologie,  the  Norfolk 
Chronicle,  the  Eastern  Daily  Press,  the  Church  of 
England  League  Gazette,  the  Church  Family  News- 
paper, the  Foreign  Church  Chronicle. 

As  EDITOR. 

1853.  Bishop   Cosin  :    Religion,  Discipline  and  Rites  of  the 

English  Church.     (Latin.) 

1854.  J.  Meyrick  :  Papal  Supremacy.     (French,  Italian,  Ger- 

man, Modern  Greek.) 

1855.  Extracts  from  Ussher,  Bramhall,  Taylor,  Feme,  Cosin, 

Pearson,    Bull,   Hooker,   Jackson,   on    the    Holy 

Catholic  Church.     (Italian.) 
1858.  Bishop   Cosin:   History   of    Papal   Transubstantiation. 

(Latin.) 

1861.  Bishop  Beveridge  :  Ecclesiastical  Rites.     (Latin.) 
1865.  Bishop  Andrewes  :  Private  Devotions,  Part  I.     (Latin.) 
1867.  Ditto.     (Greek) 
1870.  Bishop  Andrewes:  Private  Devotions,  Part  II.     (Latin.) 

1872.  Bishop  Andrewes  :  The  Roman  Primacy.     (Latin.) 
Bishop  Andrewes  :  The  old  Catholic  Faith.     (Latin.) 

1873.  Bishop     Andrewes  :     Private     Devotions,     Part     III. 

(Latin.) 

1874.  Bishop  Hall :  Noah's  Dove.     (Latin.) 

1875.  Isaac  Casaubon  :  Letter  to  Cardinal  Perron.     (Latin.) 

1876.  Charlemagne:  The  Second  Council  of  Nicaea.     (Latin.) 

1874.  Correspondence    with   Old   Catholic  and  Orientals,  in- 

cluding letters  to  Dr.  v.  Dollinger,  etc. 

1875.  Ditto. 

1876.  Ditto. 

1877.  Ditto. 


1853-1905]  PUBLICATIONS  345 

1888.  Extracts   from    Dr.    Crackanthorp's    'Defence   of  the 

English  Church,'     (Latin.) 

1889.  Ditto. 

1 867- 1 899.  Bishop  Harold  Browne : '  Exposition  of  the  Articles/ 

in  seven  parts.     (Spanish.) 
1877-1899.  The  Foreign  Church  Chronicle. 
1905.  '  Private    Morning    Prayers,'   from   Bishop   Andrewes' 

*  Devotions.' 

Bishop  Jewel :  '  The  Faith  of  English  Churchmen.1 
Bishop  Jewel :  *  On  the  English  Reformation.' 


INDEX 


ACROPOUS  OP  ATHENS,  70 
Acton,  Lord,  287 
Adelsberg,  Caves  of,  81 
Aitken,  Robert,  219 
Albani,  Madame,  293 
Alexander,  Archbishop,  238 
Alhambra,  the,  145 
Anastasiades,  Archimandrite,  276 
Andrea,  Cardinal,  228 
Anglo- Continental    Society,  the, 

176,  332 
Athens,  blockade  of,  67 

Balston,  Charles,  7 

Baraguay  d'Hilliers,  General,  54 

Beauchamp,  Karl,  89 

Benson,  Archbishop,  248,  328 

Birch,  H.  M.,  45 

Blachford,  Lord,  15 

Blickling  Hall  and  parish,  335, 340 

Blomfield,  Bishop,  158  \ 

Bodorgan,  237 

Bonn  Conferences,  the,  259,  261 

Bowden,  J.  E.,  35>  36 

Bowen,  Sir  G.  F.,  17 

Bowles,  Thomas,  5 

Brotherhood  of  the  Holy  Trinity, 

173 
Browne,  Bishop  Harold,  141,  222, 

240 

Browning,  R.,  339 
Bryce,  Professor,  26,  29 
Bula  de  Cruzada,  the,  147 
Burdett-Coutts,  Baroness,  293 
Burdett,  Sir  Francis,  292 
Burgon,  Dean,  96 
Butterfield,  W.,  33 

Cabrera,  Bishop,  150,  180,  326 
Camilleri,  Dr.,  226 
Campello,  Count  H.  di,  299 
Carlyle,  Thomas,  331 


Cassell,  Andrew  and  James,  322 


39 
dji 


Castelar,  Senor,  332 
Catholicism,  Old,  127,  256 
Church  of  England  League,  334 
Church,  Dean,  13 

General,  68 
Cichitti,  Professor,  302 
Claughton,  Bishop  T.  L.,  83 
Clerke,  Archdeacon,  136,  221 
Clough,  A.  H.,  45 
Cobden,  Richard,  115 
Codrington,  Christopher,  303 
Codrington  College,  304 
Colenso,  Thomas  B.,  32 
Coleridge,  H.  J.,  17,  26 
Cordova,  martyrs  of,  147 

Mosque  of,  146 
Cotton,  Dr.,  101 
Cox,  Sir  George  W.,  33 
Coxe,  Bishop  Cleveland,  252,  290 
Criticism,  the  negative,  244 
Cyriacus,  Professor,  69 

Da  Costa,  Senhor,  323,  325 

Darrell,  Wild,  i 

De  Leuw,  Dr.,  197 

Derby,  Earl  of,  87,  166,  171,  214 

De  Souza,  Senhor  Caudido,  325 

Dollinger,    Dr.    v.,    59,    158,    256, 

259,  262 
Dutch  Jansenists,  200,  269 

Empress  Frederick,  the,  215,  336 
English  clergy,  the,  217 
Excommunication,     Portuguese, 
324 

Fanar,  the,  76 

Farrar,  Canon  A.  S.,  331 

Forbes,  Bishop  A.  P.,  46,  126 

Foreign  Church  Chronicle,  241, 333 

Foulkes,  E.  S.,  142 

Freeman,  Professor,  18 


346 


INDEX 


347 


Friedrich,  Professor,  267 
Fronde,  J.  Anthony,  309 

Garibaldi,  G.,  54,  243 

Gibbs,  William,  295 

Gibson,  Bishop,  331 

Gladstone,  W.  E-,  24,  64,  88,  Il6, 

163,  238 

Godfray,  Dr.,  179 
Goodwin,  Bishop  Harvey,  123 
Goulburn,  Dean,  202,  234,  244 
Gray,  Bishop,  32 
Greswell,  Edward,  7 
Guardian,  the,  15 
Guettee,  Abbe,  181 
Guillemard,  H.  P.,  13 

Haddan,  A.  W.,  14 

Hallam,  H.,  340 

Harold,  King,  335 

Harris,  Bishop  Charles,  62 

Heaviside,  Canon,  235 

Hengstenberg,  Professor,  7,  198 

Hervey,  Lord  Charles,  179 

Herzog,  Bishop,  270,  332 

Hill,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  68 

Hobart,  Sir  Henry,  335,  336 

Holyoake,  G.  J.,  160 

Hope,  A.  J.  Beresford,  241,  270,  279 

Howell,  Canon  Hinds,  236 

Howson,  Dean,  236 

Hubbard,  J.  G.,  47 

Hussey,  Professor,  107 

Immaculate  Conception,  the,  57 
Indulgences,  148,  192 
Infallibility,  58 
Ingram,  Dr.,  10 
Irish  cursing,  193 

funeral,  191 

inquiry  classes,  185 

missions,  195 

Jacobson,  Bishop,  107 
Janyscheff,  Arch-Priest,  275 
Jelf,  W.  E.,  109 
Jesuits,  General  of  the,  57 
Jones,  Bishop  W.  Basil,  16,  34 
Jowett,  Benjamin,  101 

Keble,  John,  49 
Kerr,  Lord  Frederic,  67 
Kerse,  Robert,  46 
Kidwelly,  237 
King,  the,  336,  337 
Kireeff,  General,  275 
Koblich,  H.,  338 


Lake,  Dean,  5,  98,  163,  331 

Lee,  F.  G.,  318 

Liddon,  Canon,  19,  172,  175 

Lightfoot,  Bishop,  250 

Lothian,   Cecil,   Marchioness  of, 

37,38 
Constance,    Marchioness    of, 

38,  39,  338 
Schomberg,   Marquis  of,   39, 

40 
William,  Marquis  of,   19,  39, 

83 

Loyson,  Hyacinthe,  288 
Lycurgus,  Archbishop,  272 

Mackonochie,  A.  H.,  5,  47 
Maclagau,  Archbishop,  289,  333 
Macmullen,  R.  G.,  5,  9,  121 
Madrid,  Bishop  of,  326 
Magee,  Archbishop,  238,  278 
Malaga,  cemetery  at,  281 

sermon  at,  282 

Manning,  Cardinal,  58,  85,  202 
Mansel,  Dean,  90 
Mariolatry,  149,  154,  199 
Marriott,  Charles,  87,  93 

Wharton  B.,  10,  12,  22,  34 
Martin,  Sir  William,  293 
Maynooth,  Dean  of,  129 
Mayor,  Professor,  235,  301 
Megaspelion,  Monastery  of,  65 
Meyrick,  Anne,  2 

Arthur,  4,  6 

Edward  Graves,  3 

Frederick  J.,  338 

Fuller,  237 

Harriet,  221 

James,  4 

Rowland,  Bishop  of  Bangor,  I 

Thomas,  5 

Michaud,  Professor,  264 
Minghetti,  Signor,  228,  283 
Monsell,  Mrs.,  62 
Montagu,  Lord,  145 
Mozley,  Professor,  87,  94 
Miiller,  Max,  116 

Napoleon,  Louis,  53 
Nevin,  Dr.,  267,  279 
Newman,  Cardinal,  5, 13, 14,  23, 33, 

49,  78,  95,  106,  in,  114,  125,  205, 

207 

Nightingale,  Miss,  70 
Norris,  W.  F.,  10,  23 
Novikoff,  Madame,  239,  279 

O'Brien,  Smith,  52,  62 

Omer,  Abbe",  51 

Oriental  Church,  the,  76,  332 


348 


INDEX 


Otho,  King,  67,  69 
Oxford  Union  Society,  loo 

Palgrave,  W.  G.,  10,  31 
Pahkari,  Greek,  73 
Palmer,  Archdeacon,  21 

William,  22,  73 
Passaglia,  Professor,  78,  225 
Patterson,  J.  L-,  Bishop  of  Em- 

maus,  19 

Pattison,  Mark,  93,  104 
Pelham,  Bishop,  233 
Peloponnesus,  71 
Perry,  Bishop,  278 
Pierrot,  298 
Pitt,  Lady  Lucy,  222 
Pius  IX.,  53 

Plunket,  Lord,  231,  315,  325 
Poerio,  Baron,  242 
Poniatopulos,  Kyr,  66 
Pope,  Godfrey  P.,  323 
Popham,  Judge,  2 
Potter,  Bishop,  278 
Prim,  General,  255 
Prindisi,  Andrea,  71 
Purgatory,  193 
Pusey,  Dr.,  26,  29,  49,  55,  102,  118, 

174,  263 

Queen's  College,  Galway,  190 

Ramsbury,  I 
Rawle,  Bishop,  313 
Regaliza,  Senor,  322 
Reinkens,  Bishop,  258 
Ricasoli,  Baron,  227 
Riddell,  James,  20  ' 

Rigaud,  Bishop,  5,  102 
Ripley,  Canon,  232 
Robertson,  Bishop,  331 
Rosary,  the,  194 
Rose,  Hugh  James,  49 
Routh,  Martin  J.,  1 1 1 
Russell,  Odo,  58 

Sagasta,  Senor,  325 
Salisbury,  Marquis  of,  19,  84 
Sandford,  Bishop,  276 
Scott,  Dean,  101 
Selborne,  Lord,  22 
Selwyn,  Bishop,  220,  272 
Seville,  bull-fight  at,  156 


Seville,  Holy  Week  at,  152 
Sewell,  Elizabeth,  113 

William,  112,  310 
Shaftesbury,  Earl  of,  122 
Shrewsbury,  Earl  of,  37 
Short,  Thomas,  10 
Smith,  Goldwin,  161 

I.  Gregory,  33 

Joseph,  ii 
Sophia,  Santa,  79 
Stack,  Bishop,  316,  321,  326 
Stanley,  Dean,  loo,  155 

Lord,  84,  1 66 
Stanmore,  Lord,  134 
Stubbs,  Bishop,  15,  128 

Talbot,  Bertram,  336 

Hon.  Gilbert,  38 

Hon.  John  C.,  38 

Monsignor,  204,  209 
Tasca,  Count  Ottavio,  182 
Thackeray,  W.  M.,  213 
Thermopylae,  74 
Tommasi,  Professor,  285 
Trench,  Archbishop,  238,  247 
Tupper,  W.  G.,  19 
Turner,  E.  T.,  13,  16,  19 

University  Reform  Bill,  87,  161 

Valladolid,  autos-da-fe  at,  318 
Van  Loos,  Archbishop,  200,  269 
'Vaticanism,'  243 
Von  Schulte,  Professor,  257 

Wace,  Dean,  335 
Ward,  Sir  Henry,  17,  63 

W.  G.,  13 
Wayte,  S.  W.,  16 
West  Indian  negroes,  305 

Question,  the,  307 
Whitehall  preachership,  159 
Whittingham,  Bishop,  139 
Wilberforce,  Bishop  Samuel,  86, 

102,  123,  129,  238 
Williams,  Isaac,  49,  114 
Wilson,  Dr.,  10,  83 
Wordsworth,  Bishop  Charles,  41 

Bishop  Christopher,  141,  240, 
246 

Bishop  John,  301,  315 

Yonge,  Charlotte,  113 


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